


Free Vacation

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Attraction, Castiel Likes Dean, Dean Likes Castiel, Dean meets Castiel, Family teasing, Feelings, Flirting, Free vacation, Friendship, Fun, Happy Ending, Invitation, Love, M/M, Reconnecting with friends, Rough time for Dean Winchester, depressed character, emotional breakdown, worried friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:13:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9163678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: After a bad breakup, Dean gets into a fight with his best friend that pushes him over the edge.  It ends with him finally seeking help, but not from the people that love him most.  That leaves a rift between him and the people in his life that only want the best for him.A year later, after getting the help he needs, he gets invited on a vacation with his brother and some friends.  It's a chance to get away and relax, and maybe try to reconnect with his friends.  The last thing he expected to find was someone else that he connects to.  Someone with dark, messy hair and bright blue eyes.  This vacation turns out to be better than he had ever expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be part of another challenge I had signed up for, but seeing as how I am no longer in the FB group that the challenge was a part of, I am posting it independently. The theme was winter, and so I ran with it. I do hope you all like this.

[  
](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1483349626.jpg)[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) on [piZap.com](http://www.pizap.com)

“No.”  
  
“Oh, come on, Dean!  It’s free to you!  I’m paying for everything!”  Charlie whined.  
  
“I said no.”    
  
Dean wiped the grease off his hands with the rag he kept in his pocket and headed for his office.    
  
“Dean-”  
  
He spun around, jaw clenched, eyes blazing.  
  
“What part of no are you not comprehending?  When I say no, I mean NO!”  
  
Charlie immediately deflated.  Always cheerful and bubbly, the hurt on her face was painfully obvious.  But beyond that, she was pissed.  
  
“Sorry.  Excuse me for wanting to invite you on a free vacation where the rest of your friends are going to be.  Excuse me for caring and wanting you to get back out into the world.  You know what?”  She tossed the piece of paper in her hands down as she began backing up.  “Go fuck yourself, Dean Winchester.  I’m sorry I wanted to spend time with my best friend.  Maybe I need to rethink our friendship.”  
  
With that she turned, and she was gone.  Dean stared after her, wanting to go after her and apologize, but he couldn’t get his feet to move.  This was the most she had been pissed off at him since probably their freshman year of high school.  He just…didn’t want to go.  Why couldn’t she understand that?  He didn’t want to be around other people.  He wanted to be alone, to wallow in his misery and remember why he was such a fucking awful boyfriend that Benny had to up and move out in the middle of the week leaving behind only a quickly jotted down note stuck to the fridge.  
  
“I’m sorry, Chere, I just can’t do this anymore.  Please don’t blame yourself.”  
  
Benny~  
  
That had been 3 months ago.  And fuck yes, Dean blamed himself.  He had to hear through other people that Benny had been seeing some chick named Andrea for the better part of a year, even though he’d been with Dean for 10 years.  10 YEARS!!!  He felt stupid for believing they had something permanent, and he had even bought a ring with the intention of proposing.  That all flew out the window the day he came home to find the house they had bought together half bare.  And he still had to go home to that every freaking night.    
  
He’d put the house up for sale.  The money was being split, but Dean was taking most of it.  He’d put the larger deposit down in the first place as well as paying more than 80% of the bills over the years.  Benny had covered food and the water bill.  That was it.  So Dean was taking the majority of the money, and he was buying himself a new place.  Living in the shadows of a past relationship was becoming unbearable.  Alcohol couldn’t drown out the memories anymore.  He tried not to think about the gun collection in the basement.  He could live without Benny.  He knew he could.  It was just so fucking hard.    
  
And now he’d hurt one of the few people in his life that gave a damn about him.  He was an asshole of epic proportions.  And within the hour he’d have Sam breathing down his neck, and if not Sam, his mother.  This was not how he expected the day to go.    
  
“Vic!”  He walked back towards the garage looking for his lead mechanic.  
  
“Yo!  Over here, boss!”    
  
Dean walked in the direction of the voice and found him under a Ford Taurus.    
  
“I’m going to take off.  Things are slow today, and we only have one more appointment on the books around 3.  Can you and the guys handle that?”  
  
Vic slid out from under the car and got to his feet.  
  
“Yeah, sure.  Everything alright?”  
  
“No. I pissed Charlie off, but I need some time to myself before I have to face her and Sam.  If my brother shows up, just tell him I left.  I’m sure he’ll check my house and call me 50 million times.  Just tell him you don’t know where I am.”  Dean sighed and looked off towards the falling snow outside.    
  
“So, heading to Michael’s,”  Vic said.  
  
“Maybe.  I haven’t decided yet.  Don’t tell my brother that.  They keep trying to force me into socializing, and I’m getting sick of it.  If I wanted to see people, I’d see them.  But I don’t.  They need to learn to back off.”    
  
Vic nodded, offering a sympathetic smile.  
  
“I’ve been where you are, man.  I get it.  Go, sort your thoughts out.  I’ll do what I can to keep the hounds off your scent.”  
  
“Thanks man.  If there are no other cars you can close up at 5 and head on home.  I think the snow is going to just get worse.  Best to get ahead of it if you can.”  Dean patted Vic on the shoulder before heading to his office.  As he shrugged his flannel on, his phone rang in his pocket.  A quick check told him it was Sam.  He shoved the phone back in his pocket and pulled his coat on.  The last thing he needed right now was Sam’s judgmental attitude.  Later, maybe he could deal with it.  But right now he needed to be left the fuck alone.  
  
  
  
Dean headed home long enough to shower and change into clean clothes, and then he was gone again.  His phone rang 10 times in the first half hour after he left, and it became so annoying that he just turned the damn thing off.  He didn’t have a destination in mind.  Any of his usual haunts his brother would be able to track him to, and the mission was to not be found.  So he got on the highway and headed north.  The snow was falling thicker now, and it was absolutely beautiful.  He could understand why Charlie wanted him to come on the stupid trip.  The socializing she had in mind was going to be exhausting, and he wasn’t in the right mindset for it.  In fact, he wasn’t sure that he would ever be in the right mindset again.    
  
He knew he couldn’t hide forever.  People not suffering depression didn’t hide forever, not that he would willingly admit that that was what he was dealing with.  The truth was, he was scared.  If he told Sam, or Charlie, what would they think of him?  The last thing he wanted was for them to see him as weak.  Dean Winchester was not weak.  He just didn’t know how much more he could take.  Most days it was hell just to force himself out of bed, but he had a business to run, so he went. His house was a disaster.  In a chaotic state of half packed and half just not cleaned since Benny had left, it was no longer a place he felt he wanted to be.  The lump in his throat got bigger the longer he drove.  The snow fell faster, blinding him, but no matter how fast he ran the wipers, he couldn’t see the road.  That was when he realized it wasn’t the snow blurring his vision, it was the tears that he had spent months holding back.  Why now?  He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park.  The tears would not stop.  With a great, shuddering sob he dropped his head against the steering wheel and gave himself over to the pain.  
  
He had no idea how long he’d been crying.  For someone that had spent a lifetime being strong for everyone else and never showing any sign of weakness whatsoever, it was now like something inside of him had cracked.  He wailed and slammed his hand against the steering wheel until it was bruised and too sore to move.  Just so he could feel something.  A tap against his window some time later startled him, and he looked up to see a police officer there.  Right.  He’d pulled over on the side of a fairly busy highway in a snowstorm. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop crying, so he just went ahead and rolled the window down.  Damn it, he knew this cop.  
  
“Dean?  Honey, are you alright?”  Sheriff Jody Mills was leaning down so she was eye level with him, the look of alarm and concern on her face was too much.  Lying would have been the easy way out.  He could have just told her he was fine, that work was just getting to be too much, or that he’d had a fight with…whoever, but something different came out of his mouth.  With his lips quivering and the words “I’m fine” hovering on them he looked her in the eye and said,   
  
“No.”  
  
  
  
“Have you heard from Dean?  He turned his phone off.”  Mary was pacing in the kitchen, her cell pressed to her ear as she questioned her younger son.  
  
“No.  Maybe I pushed him too far earlier by calling him so many times.  And I sort of left him a couple of nasty voicemails too.”  Sam felt particularly guilty about that.  
  
“Why, Sam?  You know he hasn’t been doing well, why would you do that?”  Mary was upset.  It was after midnight, and no one had heard from or seen Dean since he left the shop around 3.    
  
“Mom, I’m getting a call on the other line from Victor.  I’ll give you a call back in a few, ok?”  Sam didn’t wait for her to answer; he clicked over to accept the call.  Mary hung up and sank down into the nearest chair.  She double checked her phone for any chance she had missed a call from her eldest son, but there was nothing.  This was making her worry more than usual.  Something felt wrong.  The ringing of her phone startled her and she quickly pressed accept.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
“Mary?”  A familiar voice asked.  
  
“Jody?”  For a moment Mary was confused, then a jolt of fear raced through her.  
  
“Hi, I was calling you to let you know that I found Dean earlier.  I wanted to let you know that he’s ok.”  
  
“Where is he?”  Mary cried.  There was a pause on the other line before Jody replied.  
  
“Bellview.”  
  
“Bell-”  Mary blinked.  “The mental hospital?”  
  
“Yeah.  I drove him myself.  I think he had a nervous breakdown.  Called Victor to come pick up the car.  I passed back through to make sure the Impala was safely loaded and brought back to the shop.  That was one of his big concerns.”  Jody was talking but Mary was already in motion, grabbing her coat and shoes.  
  
“A breakdown, you say?  My poor baby!”  Mary sobbed as she kicked her slippers off and shoved her feet into her shoes.  Jody could hear her on the other end of the line and realized she was getting ready to leave.  
  
“Mary, you can’t go to the hospital now.  He’s asleep in bed, probably has been for hours.  You need to rest and be ready for him to call tomorrow.  He’s physically ok, but mentally, he’s not well.  You need to calm yourself down or you’ll just add more to his stress.”    
  
Mary almost laughed hearing Jody use her “mom” voice on her, but instead she leaned heavily against the wall between the living room and the kitchen.  
  
“Jody.  Is my boy…suicidal?”  
  
“I couldn’t tell for sure.  I do know that he’s very depressed and judging from the state he was in when I found him, I’d say it’s been going on for a while now.  He just reached his breaking point.  That Benny sure did a number on him, huh.”  Jody cared about the Winchester boys like they were family.  She’d been friends with Mary since before the boys had been born, and she worried about them.  
  
“A piece of him died I think the day Benny walked out,”  Mary said softly.  
  
“Yeah, I saw that too.  I have to run, but if you need me, you call me, ok?”    
  
Mary sniffled and wiped a stray tear out from under her eye.  
  
“Yeah, ok.  Thanks again for letting me know.”  
  
“Of course, hon.  Now you know where your boy is, so go and get some sleep.  He’s going to need you stable and calm when you go see him,”  Jody told her.  
  
“Ok.  Goodnight, Jody.”  
  
“Night, Mary.”  
  
Mary hung up and immediately the phone rang again.    
  
“Mom?  Mom!  They found Dean’s car abandoned on Highway 85 heading north!”  Sam cried the moment the line connected.  
  
“Shh, I know where Dean is.”    
  
“What?  Where is he?  Is he ok?”  Sam was frantic and while the situation had her equally upset, she was glad to know that her son cared about his older brother enough to be worried.  
  
“He’s…at Bellview.”  
  
“Mom.  That’s a mental hospital.”  
  
“Sam, I know what it is.”  She rubbed at her right temple.  The start of a headache was beginning to throb there.  
  
“He didn’t…”  Her son’s voice cracked, and she realized exactly where his mind had gone.  
  
“No, no he didn’t.  But he’s a lot worse off than we first thought.  I knew things were getting rough between him and Benny, and Dean’s mood swings were not all that bad but once he left?  I don’t know, something drastic changed.  I never saw him cry, even though I know he wanted to.  It tore him up something bad, but there was more to it.  I think it all just caught up to him.  Charlie, maybe when she yelled at him earlier, she sort of tipped that last domino that he was precariously holding on to.  Jody says I can’t go see him tonight, but I can tomorrow.  Will you drive me?  I-I don’t think I can do it.”    
  
“Yeah, of course, Mom.  I’ll be there, 9 a.m., ok?  I’ll grab us breakfast on the way so we can just head straight out.”  He was crying, she could hear it, and it made her throat ache as she tried to hold her own tears back.  
  
“Alright, I’ll see you right at 9.  Don’t let Charlie think this is on her, ok?  Dean wouldn’t want her thinking this was her fault.”  
  
“I’ll make sure,” he said.  
  
“I love you, Sam.”  
  
“I love you too, Mom.”  
  
  
  
“Mom, I, uh, have something to tell you.  About Benny.”    
  
They were already 20 minutes into the drive to Bellview, their breakfast sandwiches finished already when Sam broke the silence.  His mother turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue.    
  
“Benny was cheating.  For longer than Dean realized.  I had a talk with Charlie last night.  A long talk, and apparently people were doing what they could to spare Dean’s feelings.  Dean thinks he was cheating for only about a year, but it was closer to 3.  First there was some guy, Roman, or something like that, for over a year, then he met this girl Andrea.  Apparently they knew one another from back in Louisiana and the moment they reconnected, sparks flew, or at least, that’s how I heard it.  But he didn’t tell her about Dean, and he didn’t tell the other guy either.  So yeah, he was dating 3 people at once.  Bastard.  Anyway, he finally dumped the Roman guy a few weeks into dating Andrea, once he felt they were getting serious, but stayed with Dean.  As far as anyone knows, Dean never had a clue.  The really bad part is that…”  Sam chewed on his lower lip for a long moment, as though the next part pained him to have to say.  
  
“Spit it out, Sam,” his mother urged.  
  
“So in April, I went with Dean to pick out an engagement ring.”  
  
Mary gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.  
  
“He was finally going to ask?  After 10 years?”  
  
“I may have urged him to make that move to settle down. I hate myself for that now. I didn’t know the son of a bitch was cheating. I really didn’t. If I’d known…,”  Sam pressed his lips together though his eyes shimmered with tears.  “I feel partly to blame.  You’re sure he didn’t try to commit suicide?”  
  
“We didn’t know.  We are not to blame.  Dean is not to blame.”  Mary reached over and took her son’s hand.  “Don’t you dare, for one minute think that anything Benjamin Lafitte did is your fault.  This is on him.”  There was venom in her voice.  Benny was probably her least favorite person in the entire world now, and Sam was of the same opinion.   
  
  
  
One Year Later~  
  
“So…”  
  
Dean arched an eyebrow and looked across the table at Charlie.  
  
“What do you want?”  
  
Charlie picked at her salad for a moment before talking.  
  
“So here’s the thing.  I get mad perks through work, and my boss owns a ski lodge.  He invited me and as many of my friends as I want to bring up with me.  It’s a week of skiing, good food, relaxation, games, and a bunch more winter stuff that you may or may not be interested in.  I am inviting you.  I tried to invite you last year and well, I understand why you didn’t want to go, but I’m hoping that this year, you’ll change your mind and come.”  She held her breath as she waited for him to finish the bite of his double cheeseburger.  It was unnerving the way he was staring at her.  
  
“Who else are you inviting?”  
  
“Uh, well, Sam, Dorothy, Cole, Garth, Ash, Jo, and I’m deciding if I want to invite anyone else.”  She popped a cherry tomato in her mouth and waited.  Dean set his burger back down on his plate and picked up one of his fries.  
  
“Yeah, ok.  I’m in.  But no strangers, ok?  I’m still easing back into all of this, and I don’t plan to ski much, but I could use some time away from the shop.  Last time I took for myself was…”  He frowned and shook his head.  “What do I need to bring?”  
  
“Well, boss provides skis and snowboards, stuff like that, so warm stuffs?  Like I can take you shopping and we can get you everything you need,” she offered.  
  
“Yeah, ok.  When do we leave?”  
  
“The 27th, and we’ll be leaving from there the 2nd.  We can stay longer if we want, though.”    
  
Dean grabbed a fry and swirled it through the ketchup that had dripped off his burger.  That would give him 2 weeks to get the shop’s appointments in order, get Vic ready to take over, plus get payroll finished.  And get the shopping done so he didn’t freeze his nuts off.  
  
“You won’t be pissed if I spend most of my time in my room, will you?” he asked.  
  
“Nope.  This is a vacation.  Time to relax, but so you know, there’s this fantastic fireplace down in the common area that’s awesome to sit by to get warm and read.”  She didn’t care if all he did was sit and read or listen to music, as long as he came with.    
  
“Ok.  I’ll let Victor know today,” he said before popping the fry in his mouth.  
  
“I’m so excited!  We’re going to have so much fun!” she squealed.  Dean snorted and shoved another fry in his mouth.  Hopefully her energy would be diverted elsewhere for the trip or he wasn’t going to be able relax at all!  
  
  
  
“Why can’t we take my car?”  Dean complained.  
  
“Seriously?  We’re driving up into the mountains, Dean.  Icy, snow covered, mountains.  If the Impala gets stuck, we can’t get her out, and you refuse to put snow chains on her, so that leaves my truck, with 4x4 drive and snow chains.  Not to mention the space for all of the stuff we’re bringing.”  Sam was busy grabbing his brother’s bags and tossing them into the covered cab of his pickup truck.  Dean didn’t argue, and he took that as a small victory, even if his brother was glaring at the truck like it had done him a personal disservice.  
  
“Did you pack everything you’re going to need?” he asked.  Dean shot him a baleful look, but Sam refused to wither under it.  He wanted his brother to be happy but safe too.  That meant making sure the medications he now took regularly were tucked into one of his bags.  
  
“Yes, I have everything.”  Dean stressed the last word so his brother got the hint.  He climbed up into the passenger seat and promptly put his headphones in.  Sam slid into the passenger seat, glancing at his brother for a moment before sighing and starting the truck.  This trip was 3 hours, longer if the roads were bad.  He’d hoped to sort of reconnect with Dean on the drive but it seemed like his brother had other things in mind since he was scrolling through his phone, the soft sounds of Floyd spilling out from his headphones.  He turned on the radio and kept the volume at a normal level.  If Dean wasn’t in the mood to talk, fine.  That didn’t mean he had to have silence.  Just to be a dick, he put on talk radio.  He knew from the frown on his brother’s face that Dean could hear it.  If there was one thing Dean hated, it was talk radio.  Too bad he didn’t want to have a decent conversation…  
  
It was a little over 4 hours before they reached the lodge.  The snow was falling steadily, but the lodge itself looked inviting.  Every room on the first floor glowed with a warm, yellow light and people in brightly colored parkas stood outside.  Between Dean and Sam they got the truck unloaded in 2 trips, and then they were standing in the lobby.  
  
“Wow.”  Sam’s eyes were wide as he took in the high ceilings, the brick walls, and the giant fireplace with wraparound seating.    
  
“This place is snazzy.”  Dean spotted a front desk and made his way over.  A girl that looked to barely be 18 was sitting behind it.  
  
“Hi, are you part of the Bradbury party?” she asked.  
  
“Yes I am.  I’m Dean Winchester and that’s my brother Sam.  We’re supposed to tell you that we’re guests of Gabriel Novak,” he replied.  She smiled brightly.  
  
“Oh, I know that. Gabe’s my uncle. I’m Claire.” She offered a hand, and he smiled as he shook it.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Claire.”  
  
“So, let me see where they put you guys…”  She was typing away on the computer so he took a moment to look around.  The place was nice.  Novak must be loaded, he thought.  
  
“Ok, here you are.  Room 202 is yours.  Sam is across the hall in 205.”  She handed over 2 keys with large wooden tags that listed the name of the lodge, Wintercrest, and the room numbers.  
  
“Thanks.”  He motioned to his brother, who walked over, and then handed him the key for 205.  
  
“If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask.  We have round the clock concierge, a full kitchen that serves from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but there are vending machines at the back.  Just follow the signs.  There is a hot tub, a sauna, and a variety of activities, both indoor and out for your enjoyment.  There is also a lounge at the back with another fireplace if you wish to find a quiet, out of the way place to sit and relax.  There are also massages every Tuesday and Thursday, aromatherapy, and a library for your reading pleasure.  Oh, and there is a doctor on call 24/7, my Uncle Castiel, should you need him for anything.”  She handed over a pamphlet to each of them.  
  
“Is this a lodge or a day spa?”  Dean joked as he looked through all of the amenities.  
  
“Well, between you and me, my uncle likes to indulge, and because he likes to indulge, he assumes his guests will too.  My other uncle, Castiel, he tried to tell Gabe he didn’t need all of that stuff but Gabe doesn’t listen to anyone,”  Claire said, laughing.  
  
“Well, I’m pretty sure I want one of those massages.”  Sam was smiling as he leafed through the brochure.  
  
“What, and not the aromatherapy?”  Dean teased.  Sam rolled his eyes before returning to their luggage.  A man in a uniform was already there loading their things onto a cart.  
  
“Welcome to Wintercrest, I’m Alfie and I’ll be helping you up to your rooms.  Did Claire give you your room numbers?”  The guy asked.  He looked barely older than Claire herself, but equally as friendly.  
  
“Oh, yeah, I’m 205.”  Sam looked to Dean, who added  
  
“And I’m 202.”  
  
“Fantastic!  Right this way.”  Alfie took off, pushing the cart ahead of him so they followed.  The ride up in the elevator was quick and their rooms were not far from it once they reached the second floor.  Alfie took Sam’s key first and unlocked the door.    
  
“Wow.”  Sam’s jaw dropped as he took in the room.  Rustic without being tacky, and windows that spanned the entire far wall.  The curtains were open, providing a glorious, snow-covered view of the mountains beyond.  
  
“Damn, that’s a nice view, Sammy.”  Dean had to admit, this Gabe guy had taste.  
  
Sam’s bags were deposited inside the room, and then Dean was being let into his room.  It was equally as nice, though his room had a view of the slopes as well as the mountains.  They both tipped Alfie generously, and the young man grinned and bid them a good afternoon before grabbing his cart and disappearing.  
  
“This place is amazing.”  Dean ran his hands over the dresser that sat opposite the 4 poster oak bed.  It was real wood, solid and well-built.  Sam had joined them when they’d walked in, mostly so he could see how Dean’s room varied from his own.  
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever stayed at a place this nice,”  Sam said as he peeked into the bathroom.    
  
“Me either.”  Dean moved over to the bed and pulled back the thick comforter.  There were two blankets and a flat sheet underneath it.  He was going to be toasty warm tonight.  And it was a queen size bed too, like what he had at home.  He was looking forward to stretching out tonight and getting a good night’s sleep.  
  
“It’s already 6.  I’m hungry, so I think I’m going to go grab something to eat and then go see what kind of indoor activities they have since it’s already dark out,”  Sam said as he backed up towards the door.  
  
“Yeah, maybe I’ll see you down there in a few.  I’m going to find Charlie and check out this place.”  Dean closed the door behind his brother and promptly dug around in his bags until he located the pair of sweatpants he’d brought and his moccasins.  Once he had changed he hung up his coat and tucked his bags in the corner by the dresser before grabbing his wallet and the room key.  Out in the hall he spotted Ash.  
  
“Hey, man.  Good to see ya!”  Ash punched his arm playfully as they both headed for the elevator.  “Already getting comfortable, I see.”  
  
“It’s a vacation, right?”  Dean grinned and the other man laughed.  
  
“Hell yeah it’s a vacation!  I should have brought my slippers.  I didn’t think about it.  But I brought extra socks!”  
  
Dean laughed as they stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the first floor.  
  
“So, what are your plans?”  Ask asked.  
  
“I’m going to explore a bit, then grab something to eat,”  Dean replied.    
  
“Yeah, I’m going to look for Jo.  She told me to meet her in the game room.  Catch you later though?”  Ash said as he started in the opposite direction.  
  
“Sure thing.”  Dean waved and went in the other direction.    
  
The signs on the walls were pretty self-explanatory.  He stopped to get a good look at each room.  The massage/aromatherapy rooms were locked but had glass windows he could look through.  That was dull so he moved on to the sauna which was empty and the hot tub which was not.  He nodded to Cole and his girlfriend, Vicky, who were half asleep in it and got a lazy wave in return.  The sitting room was quiet, only one other person tucked up in the far corner on one of the couches reading, so he didn’t stick around to bother the guy.  Passing back across the lobby he went down the other wing, where he located the vending machines, the kitchen, the library, and finally, the game room.  Everyone was in there, including Charlie, and they tried to draw him into a game of foosball, but he excused himself to go get food.    
  
The kitchen was actually more like a cafeteria with tables and a long counter where he was able to pick and choose what he wanted.  There was pot roast, and his stomach grumbled as soon as he smelled it.  He helped himself to a generous portion along with potatoes, yams, green beans, and gravy.  There was a soda machine too, and he poured himself a glass of coke.  Sam wasn’t here, and the room was empty so he sat down at a table in the corner to eat alone.  He was halfway through his meal when the man he’d seen in the sitting room walked in.  The only reason he recognized him was by the bright blue and white sweater he was wearing with a garish snowflake pattern on it.  That was actually what he was staring at, now really seeing the man inside it.  
  
“Hello.”  A deep voice greeted him.  He blinked and looked up to see eyes as blue as the sweater looking right at him.  
  
“Uh, hi.”  
  
“Are you a guest of Gabriel’s?”  The man’s voice really was ridiculously low, and it gave Dean chills to hear it.  
  
“Yeah, I mean, technically I don’t know the guy, but I am here with friends.  Charlie Bradbury works for him.  She’s my best friend, invited me up here.”  And that was way more information than he had intended to share.  The man smiled.  
  
“Would you mind some company?”  
  
Dean quickly motioned towards one of the 4 extra chairs at his table.  
  
“Please.”  
  
The man set his tray of food down before selecting the seat to Dean’s immediate left.  He offered his hand.  
  
“I’m Castiel.”  
  
“Dean.”  Dean remembered something Claire had said.  “You’re the on-call doctor.”  
  
Castiel nodded.  “I am.  I’m in sports medicine, so torn muscles and ligaments as well as fractures and deep cuts are things I am familiar with.  When my brother bought this place about 4 years ago he asked me to come work for him.  I have a practice of my own about 3 hours from here in good weather, down near Cartersville, and he wanted me to give it up and work here, but this place is only open in the winter, which is really when I see the majority of my patients anyway, so I told him no.  Instead, I take 2 weeks just after Christmas and I come up here.  My brother James, we’re twins, he is a doctor as well, but of pediatric medicine.  He stays from January until the lodge closes in the spring.”  
  
“What happens to your clinic if you’re here?”  Dean asked, curious.  
  
“Oh, I have partners.  They take over my clients during that time, but they really don’t see too many of mine,”  Castiel replied.  He picked up his fork and knife and began cutting into his pot roast.  Dean noted that the man had a lot more vegetables on his plate.  
  
“That’s a pretty good setup,”  Dean noted.  Castiel nodded.    
  
“It really is, especially since my brother pays me almost as much as I would make in a year just for a few weeks of work.  I see about 20 fractures during my time here.  People really shouldn’t try the professional slopes just to impress their significant others.”  
  
Dean laughed and dug back into his food.  
  
“Yeah, I doubt I’ll be skiing while I’m here, so you won’t have to worry about me.”  
  
“Do you not like to ski?”  Castiel asked.  
  
“I don’t know how.  Never been.  I came for the chance to get away from work, to relax, and spend time with friends, but on my terms.  Some of them can be a bit…”  Dean waved his fork absently as he looked for the right word.  
  
“Overwhelming?”  Castiel offered.  
  
“That’s one word for it.  My brother and Charlie are about the only 2 that I can tolerate in large doses.  He’s here too.  I thought he’d be in here, but apparently he took his food elsewhere.”    
  
“So what do you do for a living?”  Castiel was looking at him again and Dean found that he liked the shade of blue in his eyes, just…not the way it looked on that sweater.  Geez that thing was atrocious.  
  
“I own an auto shop.  Down in Cartersville, actually.  Winchester Auto.”  
  
Castiel’s eyebrows shot up.  “Really?  Your shop does all of the work on my car.  I’ve gone there for years.  You have excellent service.”  
  
Dean preened a little at the compliment.  “Thanks.  I insist on quality work.  I only hire the best and I expect them to do their best work.  We appreciate the business.”  
  
A softer smile than previous rose up on Castiel’s lips.  
  
“So how many came in your party?”  
  
“I have no idea.  Charlie either goes crazy and invites everyone she knows or she will only invite a handful of people she actually likes.  I’ve seen a couple of people, and I drove up with my brother.”  
  
“Didn’t bring the wife and kids?”  Castiel asked.  
  
Dean pushed around his yams a bit.  “Not married.  No kids.”  
  
Castiel watched him for a moment before returning to his own food.  
  
“I’m not married either.  Divorced, actually.  Irreconcilable differences, not that it mattered.  She got bored and I realized I was gay.  It wasn’t meant to be.  We didn’t have kids.”  
  
“I don’t know whether I should politely say “sorry” or just sit awkwardly and blink.”  Dean admitted.  Castiel laughed and lightly touched Dean’s arm just for a second before pulling it back to his own lap.  
  
“No, no, I wasn’t asking for sympathy, just stating a fact.  It’s why I agreed to come do this for my brother.  I truly have no life outside of work.  Pathetic, isn’t it.”    
  
“No, not pathetic at all.  You’re helping people, you’re getting a paid vacation, and you’re doing something for family.  I think that’s pretty awesome.  I’d do anything for my brother, and I know he’d do anything for me.  That’s how family should be.”  Dean meant that.  Sam had already proven how far he would truly go for him, and Dean was forever grateful to have Sam as his brother.  
  
“Well, thank you.  And you’re right, this is rather like a paid vacation.”  Castiel smiled mostly to himself before scooping up a forkful of gravy covered mashed potatoes and stuffing them in his mouth.  
  
For the next few minutes they ate in silence.  Castiel took their plates up to turn them in and returned with slices of pie.  The way Dean’s face lit up at the sight of the pastry made him smile wide.  
  
“A fan of pie, are you?”  
  
“It’s my favorite.  Doesn’t matter the flavor, I just love it.”  Dean eagerly accepted the slice offered and immediately dug in.  “Mmmm, it’s good.”  
  
Castiel watched him for a moment before taking a bite from his own slice.  
  
“It is rather good.  My sister Hannah makes them.  She and her son Bart actually do all of the cooking for the lodge.”  
  
“Is this place entirely family run?”  Dean asked.  
  
“Well, we do have a rather large family.  Mostly, yes.  My niece Claire, she’s James’ daughter, runs the front desk during the day, my sister Hael runs it in the evening.  Overnight my brother Luc does.  My sister Anna teaches out on the beginner’s slope and my cousin Balthazar teaches on the intermediate.  My brother Michael teaches on the professional slopes.  My sister in law Rachel does massages and aromatherapy and my brother Alfie acts as the attendant, bringing bags up to rooms and doing general maintenance.  He does his classes online in the winter and spring so he can do this job.  It pays his tuition.  He’s in his last year of college.  Went into hospitality, much to our father’s dismay.”  Castiel chuckled.  “Actually, all of my siblings and myself, we all hold pretty diverse degrees.  Drives my father, who is a minister, absolutely nuts.”  
  
“I take it he wanted you all to go into the ministry too?”  Dean asked.  Castiel nodded.  
  
“He did.  He had this dream that all of his children would become evangelists like himself, travel the world, preaching the word of God, converting the people, one Novak at a time.  Only my oldest sister Naomi took that to heart.  We’re not exactly on speaking terms.  She doesn’t approve of my “lifestyle.”  The man used air quotes that had Dean snorting.  
  
“Like you chose to be gay?  That’s stupid.  My dad is kind of like that.  He doesn’t approve of me or my brother either.  We’re both queer, me more than Sam, and he calls us heathens and sinners.  This coming from the man that never stepped foot inside a church during my lifetime, and he’s going to pass judgment on me.  I told him to screw off.  Haven’t talked to him in about 11 years now.  I’m close with my mom though.”  
  
“Are your parents still together?”  Castiel asked.  Dean shook his head.  
  
“No, dad’s on his 2nd wife and mom is happily single.”  
  
“My bible spouting father is on his 3rd wife.”  Castiel snorted.  Hence the reason there are so many of us and we vary in age so much.  Anna, Hael, James and I are from his 2nd wife.  Alfie and my sister Rebecca are from his 3rd.  Everyone else is from his first.”  
  
“Wow.  Yeah, my folks only had me and Sam, but my dad has a son with his 2nd wife.  My brother Adam…”  Dean thought about his youngest brother.  “Shoot, kid has to be like, 25 now?”  
  
“Family doesn’t mean as much to some people as it once did, I suppose.”  Castiel sounded a bit sad.  Dean had to agree with that.  Once, he had considered Benny family.  Had actually wanted to make him family.  Now?  He was getting used to the idea that his chance at happiness had passed and he would be alone the rest of his life.  He hoped Sam would get married and have kids so there would be little ones to love and spoil.  That was a pleasant though amongst the dark ones that still occasionally snuck into his head.  
  
They finished their pie and after getting new drinks; coffee for Dean, hot tea for Castiel, they ventured out of the kitchen and back out into the hall.  Laughter could be heard in the game room but Dean wasn’t in the right frame of mind currently to deal with that right now.  Curling up with a good book sounded good, so after parting ways with the handsome doctor (where did that thought come from?) he located the library to see what books they had to choose from.  As he was looking through a selection of nonfiction, a woman dressed in a sweater just as hideous as the one Castiel had been wearing walked in.  There was no doubting she was Castiel’s sister though.  She had the same dark hair and the same bright blue eyes.    
  
“Hi.”  She greeted him.  
  
“Hello.”  He nodded politely before selecting a book on World War II off the shelf.  She slipped a book onto another shelf, nodding once more before slipping from the room.  Dean took the book down to the sitting room.  It was empty this time.  With his book and his cup of coffee, he settled into the furthest corner, making himself difficult to see unless someone came all the way into the room, and opened the book.  This was turning out to be a pleasant trip after all.  
  
  
  
Dean woke from what was possibly the most pleasant sleep of his life to someone knocking on his door.  With a groan he pulled himself out of the soft, warm bed and made his way to the door.  He pulled it open to find Charlie, Sam, and Dorothy standing there.  
  
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”  Charlie ruffled his hair and he growled as he shoved her hand away.  
  
“It would be nicer if I was still sleeping.  What the hell time is it?”    
  
“A little after 8.  I told her not to wake you.”  Sam said.  
  
“We’re hitting the slopes, wanted to know if you wanted to come with.”  Dorothy piped up.    
  
“Why so damn early?”  Dean yawned and scratched his belly.  
  
“It was advised to take the morning lessons.”  Charlie replied.  
  
“I’ll pass.”  Dean decided.  Charlie frowned for a moment before her bright smile was back again.  
  
“Maybe tomorrow?”  
  
“Yeah, Red, maybe tomorrow.”  He wasn’t making any promises.  The idea of skiing was actually scary as hell.  Maybe he’d try the snowboarding.  He knew how to surf and he used to skateboard.  Sam and Ash would be game for that, he was sure.  
  
“Ok.  Catch you later!”  Charlie turned and started walking off with Dorothy following after.  Sam hesitated.  
  
“You going to be ok in here?  What are your plans today?”  
  
“Not sure, beyond trying to catch up on some of the extra sleep I don’t get when I’m at home.  Might check out the hot tub later, or take a better look at the game room.  I also have a book on World War II to finish.  There’s plenty to keep me busy.  Don’t worry so much.”  Dean punched his brother in the arm playfully and was happy to see his brother relax a bit and smile.  
  
“If you wait, I’ll get in the hot tub with you.  I’m dying to check it out and when better than after making myself ache like hell trying to learn to ski?”  Sam said, grinning.  
  
“Yeah, just don’t break anything, ok?  I don’t want to have to drive your truck back.”  Dean teased.  
  
“Whatever, jerk.”  
  
“Go on, bitch.  Go have fun.  I’ll see you later.”  
  
Sam hurried to catch up to their friends and Dean closed the door.  Unfortunately he was now wide awake, damn it.  He decided on a hot shower and something to eat.  Maybe he’d run into Castiel again.  The guy was nice and not terribly pushy.  If not, well, he had a really good book still to finish.  
  
  
  
The kitchen was empty when he got there, so he ate quickly and headed for the game room.  To his surprise it was empty as well but there were 2 pool tables as well as a variety of other games.  After racking up one of the tables, he decided to play by himself.  He was bent over the table, lining up to practice a trick shot when someone in the doorway cleared their throat.  
  
“Hello, Dean.”  Castiel greeted him.  Dean stood up and turned around to see the doctor standing there, a warm smile on his face. And he was wearing another tacky sweater, this one was green and red with yellow ornaments.  
  
“Hey, Cas.  Man, I have to ask, what is up with the sweaters?  Yesterday’s was bad but tolerable.  This one…”  Dean had to look away it physically hurt his eyes the longer he looked.  “I’m sorry if I’m insulting your style in clothes.”  
  
Castiel laughed and pushed off the doorway as he walked over to the table.  
  
“No, this is my brother’s idea of a uniform.  Staff is identifiable by the shitty sweaters we wear.  I do not have such appalling taste in clothing.”  
  
“Good to know.”  Dean grinned.    
  
“May I join you?”  Castiel asked.  Dean nodded towards the rack of pool sticks.   
  
“I’ll rack the balls again, grab the stick you want.”   
  
Castiel arched his eyebrow and smirked as he headed for the sticks.  Dean replayed what he’d just said back in his head and groaned internally.  That had sounded like a shitty come on line.  Not that he would mind….  
  
Shooting that thought down, Dean got the balls racked and let Castiel shoot first.    
  
“Do you play often?”  Dean asked.  
  
“Not really.  There’s not often anyone I would like to play with, and playing with my brothers…”  Castiel shook his head.  “They goof around or they’re so competitive it’s no longer fun anymore.  Sometimes I’ll come in here and play when they’re busy, like right now, or late at night when they’re sleeping.  I like playing air hockey too, but I do need someone else to play with for that.  Claire is usually agreeable.”  
  
“I’m competitive, but I’m not a dick about it.”  Dean was stripes, so he stepped up to take his turn after Castiel missed.  
  
“I’m glad.  It’s an enjoyable game when playing with people I find to be good company.”  He caught the smile on the doctor’s face and found himself smiling back.  It was nice knowing that this man, who didn’t know him like Sam or Charlie did still thought he was cool to be around.  
  
“Thanks.  You’re good company too.  It’s nice talking with someone that isn’t asking me every 5 minutes if I’m ok.”  
  
“You sure we don’t have the same friends?”  Castiel asked jokingly.  Dean chuckled.    
  
“At least they care, right?”  
  
Castiel nodded.  “True.  But I still would like to strangle them most of the time.”  Castiel replied.  
  
“I hear that!”  Dean found himself laughing harder than he had in years.  
  
  
  
Sam found his brother sitting in the kitchen eating sandwiches with a guy in the most hideous sweater he’d ever seen in his life.  Dean nodded and waved to him but didn’t stop talking to the man.  After getting himself some lunch, he walked over to their table and slid into a seat across from his brother.  
  
“Hey, Sammy.  This is Castiel, the doctor on call.  Cas, this is my little brother Sam.”  Dean introduced.  Castiel wiped his hands on a napkin before offering one to Sam.  
  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sam.”  
  
“Nice to meet you too.”  Sam shook the man’s hand before turning his eyes on his brother.  As he started eating his salad, he watched his brother launch back into a conversation with Castiel about…gardening.  Since when did his brother garden?  As he listened he realized his brother was actually quite knowledgeable, but Castiel knew quite a lot more.  He was giving Dean advice on how to keep his roses from dying.  Sam pictured Dean’s house and remembered that yes, Dean did have a pretty substantial flower garden in his backyard.  He just hadn’t really been back there since Benny had still been there.  Most of the time was spent in the living room, watching shows or games with Dean, or sitting at the kitchen island watching his brother cook.  He hadn’t realized his brother had really taken a liking to gardening.  
  
“I have some bleeding hearts if you want some.  I thinned out the ones that came with the house.”  Sam said, joining in the conversation.  
  
Dean looked up, surprised by the offer.  “Yeah?  White or pink?”  
  
Sam was impressed that his brother knew there were more than one color.  He only knew about pink since that was what he had.  
  
“Pink.  I have, I think, 4 extra plants.  You’re welcome to them.  I don’t know where to put them.”    
  
“Thanks.  I saw yours and was thinking of getting some for the beds under the windows at the front of the house.”  Dean seemed pleased, and Sam liked seeing him that way.  It was a welcome change from the state his brother had been in after last year.  
  
Castiel started talking about the proper way to maintain bleeding hearts and Sam fell silent as he listened.  Dean’s attention was riveted to the other man.  It had been ages since Sam had seen his brother so relaxed and happy.    
  
Sam finished his salad and while he wanted to use the hot tub with his brother, he decided that he’d go check out the massages that were supposed to be available.  With a quick goodbye, he put his plate on the conveyer belt and ducked out of the room before Dean could stop him.  His brother was making friends, something he didn’t make an effort to do anymore, and he didn’t want to get in the way of that.    
  
As he passed through the lobby, Charlie caught up to him.  
  
“Hey, did you find Dean?”  She asked as she fell in step beside him.  
  
“Yeah, he’s actually busy.”  He replied.  
  
“Busy?  Doing what?”    
  
“Char, I love you but God you’re nosey.”  He ruffled her hair affectionately and she grumbled as she pushed his hand away.  
  
“I care.  I don’t want him hiding in a corner.  I mean, I know I told him he could relax and have alone time, but I still worry.  He shut us out for so long after he came back from Bellview.  I sometimes still feel like he’s doing it.  I really was surprised that he agreed to come with us.  I thought I’d get shot down again.”    
  
“I know.  But believe it or not, he’s sitting in the kitchen talking to the doctor your boss has on call, a guy named Castiel.  And it didn’t feel like it was their first time meeting either.  They’re pretty comfortable around each other.”  Sam said as he reached the massage parlor.  He opened the door and walked in.  Charlie followed.  
  
“Castiel?  I think Gabe has mentioned someone named Cassie and said that was his little brother.  I wonder is Cassie is a nickname for Castiel.”  She mused.  “I thought it was weird that he’d be calling a man Cassie anyway, but he calls his cousin Balthazar “Balthy”, and he is kind of a goofy guy, but I like him.”  
  
“Are you talking about Gabe?”  A blonde woman in a garish red and purple sweater asked.   
  
“Yes, he’s my boss.”  Charlie replied.  
  
“Oh, you must be Charlie.  He raves about how fantastic you are and all the good you’ve done for the company.  I’m Rachel, Gabe is my brother in law.  I’m married to his brother Luc.”  She offered a hand and Charlie shook it.    
  
“I’m Sam, a friend of Charlie’s.”  Sam said when Rachel offered her hand to him.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Sam.  What was that you were saying about Castiel before, if you don’t mind my asking?  He’s rarely ever the topic of anyone’s conversation, outside of family.”  She asked.  
  
“Oh, he’s apparently made friends with my brother, Dean.”  Sam replied.  
  
“Oh, I think he mentioned Dean yesterday.”  Rachel said.  She smiled wide.  “Are you here for a massage?”  
  
“I am, yes.”  Sam answered.  
  
“Well, go on and strip down, there are clean robes on the shelves in the closet in the bathroom.  Go ahead, get down to your skivvies, put on the robe and come on back.  I will get the table ready.”  She pointed to a door marked as the bathroom and he nodded before heading to it.  Once he was gone she turned back to Charlie.  
  
“So, Castiel is actually talking to someone?”  
  
“Is that rare?”  Charlie wondered aloud.  
  
“Yes…and no.  He’s a little awkward but so sweet.  Usually during his time here he’s holed up in the study reading or he’s in his room reading.  He doesn’t find most people easy to talk to, family included, so if he’s making a friend, I’m happy for him.  He needs more of those.”  Rachel wiped down the table and got several bottles ready on a table next to the table.  Then she unzipped her sweater and laid it over the back of a chair at the back of the room.  Sam returned wearing the robe.  
  
“Alright, I am ready for my massage.”  He said.  Rachel smiled wide.  
  
“Good!  Let’s get started!”  
  
  
  
After lunch Dean and Castiel had found themselves back in the study, mugs of hot cocoa in hand, talking about whatever came to mind.  Dean had no idea how much time had passed, he wasn’t keeping track.  Talking with Castiel didn’t feel like a chore, it came naturally and he was enjoying the time they spent together.  When a redhead in a purple sweater vest with green Christmas trees on it and skin tight white leggings walked in, they both took notice, though not for the same reasons.  While Dean was trying to figure out how Gabe could think these sweaters were a good idea, Castiel was frowning as the woman spotted them, her hazel eyes locking on Dean as she made her way over.  
  
“Castiel, who’s this?”  She asked as she dangled a hand in front of Dean’s face.  He realized she wanted him to shake it, so he did.  Firmly.  She almost fell off balance which made Castiel snicker.  
  
“My name is Dean.”    
  
“Are you here with Castiel?  I wasn’t aware he’d brought anyone this time.”  She was smiling and yeah, she was flirting.  It was making him uncomfortable.  He shifted in his seat and glanced at Castiel who spoke up.  
  
“For the moment, yes, he’s here with me.  Don’t you have lessons to give, Anna?”  The doctor said.  His tone was icy and her expression was pouty as she looked at him.  
  
“It’s 5, Cassie.  I don’t work with beginners after it gets dark, it’s too dangerous.”  
  
Castiel checked his watch.  “Oh.  Well then, Dean, would you care to join me in my room for dinner?”  He stood up and straightened his tacky sweater.  
  
“Yes, actually, I think I would.”  Dean had to slide a bit further down the couch to stand up so he didn’t step right into Anna as she was too busy glaring at her brother to move out of Dean’s way.  
  
“It was nice meeting you.”  Dean smiled politely before following after Castiel.    
  
“Will I see you on the slopes soon?  Maybe tomorrow?”  She called after him.  
  
“Doubtful, I don’t ski.”  He gave a quick wave and left the room.  Castiel was waiting a few steps away and they started walking towards the elevators.  
  
“You don’t have to come to my room if you don’t want to, I could see that she was making you uncomfortable and I thought…”    
  
“Yes, I’d like that, to have dinner with you.”  Dean heard the words coming out of his mouth and was mildly shocked.  Castiel seemed just as shocked but he recovered quickly.  
  
“Good, because I’m dying to take this God awful sweater off already.”  
  
Dean laughed as he looked at the sweater in question.  “Does your brother always have ideas like this?  Because I’m sort of wondering how he has manage to develop and expand a multi-billion dollar company if this is the sort of stuff he comes up with.”  
  
Castiel grinned as he reached for the elevator button and pressed it.    
  
“Yes, well, not every one of his ideas is necessarily brilliant.  He is also the man that, when he was a freshman in high school decided it would be a genius idea to sneak M&M candies into class.  In his socks.”  
  
Dean groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
  
“He didn’t.”  
  
“Oh, he did.”  Castiel stepped into the open elevator and Dean followed.  
  
“I guess it’s better than his underwear.”  
  
As the doors slid closed Castiel shook his head.  
  
“Oh, he did that too.”  
  
  
  
“Why is Cassie being such a jerk?”  
  
Anna plopped down at the table with Michael, Balthazar, and Rachel and picked up her fork.  She pushed around her chicken as she glared at it.  
  
“Why would you say that?”  Balthazar asked.  “I haven’t even seen him the last few days.  I almost forgot he was working.  How could he possibly be a jerk?”  
  
“He has some guy, and went all caveman on me when I tried to say hello earlier.”  She grumbled.  
  
“Oh, you mean Dean.”  Rachel said.  Suddenly she had 4 sets of eyes on her.  
  
“Who’s Dean?”  Michael asked.  
  
“Friend of one of Gabriel’s employees.”  She replied.  
  
“So he’s not Castiel’s boyfriend?”  Anna was irked, that much was obvious.  
  
“Umm, no?  At least, not that I know of?  Do you know something I don’t know?”  Rachel looked at Michael and Balthazar but they both shrugged.  From the confused looks on their faces she assumed they were even more in the dark than she was.  
  
“So I could have hit on Dean.  Cassie had no right to stop me!”  Anna whined.  “He’s gorgeous!”  
  
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe Castiel likes him?  And that maybe he likes Castiel in return?  You do tend to come on a little strong, love.”  Balthazar didn’t sugar coat things.  Rachel hid her smirk with a mouthful of asparagus.  
  
“So?  He’s not dating Dean.  And I don’t know if Dean’s even gay.  God I hope he’s not.”  Anna chewed on her lip.  “I could bring dessert up to them.”  
  
“Don’t do that.  Do not ruin whatever Castiel has going on.  Whether it’s just a friendship or something more, do not be a bitch.”  Michael warned.  “Don’t make me have to complain to Gabriel again about your behavior.”  
  
“Complain to me about what now?”  Suddenly Gabriel was pulling up a chair and turning it backwards as he straddled it.  “What’s going on?”  
  
“Castiel has made a friend and Anna flirted with him earlier.  Apparently your brother…got a little protective, and I am assuming they’re up in Castiel’s room now.  Michael was simply telling Anna to butt out and leave them alone.”  Rachel ignored the hole being burned into her skull by her sister in law.  She didn’t like Anna’s petulance and immaturity anyway.  The woman was a brat.  Gabriel frowned at his sister.  
  
“Anna, this is big.  You leave Cassie alone, and leave his friend alone.  Do we know who this guy even is?”  He looked at the others.  Rachel spoke up again.  
  
“Your employee, Charlie?  She invited him.  His name is Dean.  I forget the last name.  I gave his brother a massage earlier though.  Very nice man.  I’m thinking his brother is probably nice too, judging from how Sam spoke about him.”  
  
“Whoa, wait.  Sam Winchester is here?”  Gabe cried.    
  
“You know him?”  Michael asked.  
  
“Ok, so 2 years ago I threw that big New Years party, and Charlie showed up with this tall drink of water on her arm.  Absolutely gorgeous man.  I couldn’t get away to try and talk to Charlie and ask her about him.  See, she’s a lesbian, so I knew he wasn’t her boyfriend, just a friend tagging along for the night.  It was 3 days later before I could ask her who her date was.  She told me his name was Sam Winchester.  God, he’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and way the hell too young for me, but I just can’t help wanting to find him and talk to him anyway.”  He chewed thoughtfully on his lip for a moment.  “And you say Cassie befriended his brother, Dean?”  
  
Rachel nodded.  “Yes.  And they’re getting along quite well.  I’m happy Castiel is making new friends.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, me too.  I’ll have to track him down tomorrow and see how he’s doing.  I’m not going to bother him tonight, especially if he has company in his room.”  Gabe looked pointedly at Anna who ducked her head and shoveled some rice pilaf into her mouth.  
  
“Did you just get here?”  Michael asked.  
  
“Yeah, got here about 40 minutes ago.  Looked over some paperwork and then came looking for you guys.”  
  
“Want to play a game of pool later?”  His brother asked.  
  
“Maybe, but first, I want to track down Sam Winchester.  Maybe find out a little more about his brother and our brother.”  Gabe said as he got to his feet.  “I’ll catch you guys later.  Anna, stay away from Dean.”  He warned.  
  
“I don’t think he’ll be back for pool.”  Michael sighed.  
  
“I’ll play, but no cheating this time.”  Balthazar warned.  
  
“No promises.”  Michael grinned.  
  
  
  
“I wasn’t aware that we could even get dinner delivered.”  Dean said from his spot at the table by the window.  Castiel had the same magnificent view that Sam had, just from the 3rd floor and they were planning to eat dinner while they looked at the landscape beyond.  Sometime in the last half hour it had started snowing again.  
  
“We can.  Tonight’s choices are chicken in mushroom sauce or beef burgundy.  Vegetables are a steamed medley or steamed asparagus, salad, rice pilaf or baked potato.  What would you like?”  Castiel was reading off a menu sitting on the counter beside the large screen television.  
  
“Beef, mixed veggies, and potato.”  Dean replied.  
  
“No salad?”  Castiel asked.  
  
“I don’t do rabbit food.”    
  
Castiel looked up from the menu and narrowed his eyes.  “Salad is good for you.  My sister makes a creamy house dressing you must try.  I’m ordering you one.”  
  
Dean didn’t even protest.  If the man wasn’t so nice, and freaking hot as hell he might have thought about sassing him, but he opted to just roll his eyes and turn his attention back to the snow falling outside.  Castiel called the order down to the kitchen and moved to sit across from him.  He stared at the falling snow outside until something moving in the distance caught his attention.  
  
“Hmm, moose.”    
  
Dean spotted the creature as it trekked its way across the falling snow.  
  
“It’s big.”  
  
“It’s an older male.  Rare in these parts.  They’re usually hunted down, but Gabriel made this a no hunting zone, and the wildlife somehow seem to know this place is safe.  Hunters aren’t allowed this far up the mountain.  If they’re caught, they get arrested and my brother sues for trespassing and endangering his guests.  So there are all kinds of wildlife up here.”  Castiel explained.  He pointed to the bright spotlights that lit the slopes up like it was the middle of the day.  “With the lighting, we can see the bears clearer.  Wolves too.”  
  
“Bears?”  Dean knew there were bears but actually hearing that they were here and could show up?  Now he worried about his friends when they were out on the slopes.  
  
“It’s alright.  Cain is out there watching out for them.”  Castiel assured him.  
  
“Cain?  Another brother of yours?”  Dean asked.  
  
“No, no, he’s a tracker my brother hired to keep an eye on the wildlife.  He’s good at what he does.”   
  
“I’ve never seen a moose before, not counting my brother.”  Dean had a mischievous smirk that made Castiel smile.  
  
“While your brother is tall, he would still run in terror from a bull claiming territory or chasing a female.”  
  
“No doubt.  Still, kid’s a sasquatch.”  Dean murmured.  As he watched, the moose moved across the slope into the tree line on the other side.  Apparently the arrival of the moose flushed a startled fox out of hiding that dashed out into the snow and sat staring back towards where he’d just run from.  
  
“Ha, lots of wildlife here.”  Dean actually liked that.  So what if there were bears?  If that Cain guy was as good as Castiel said, the skiers would be perfectly safe.  
  
They had fallen into a discussion about the state of the hockey team when there came a knock at the door.  Castiel got up to answer it, finding his brother Alfie standing there grinning.  He rolled his eyes as he stepped aside so he could push the cart with their food inside.  His smile faded a bit when he saw Dean sitting at the table, fully clothed rather than hiding under blankets in the king size bed.    
  
“I ordered a bottle of wine and beer, but also soda.  I didn’t know what you were up for.”  Castiel explained after Alfie had set everything on the side table.  He shooed his youngest brother from the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
“As much as I would love a beer, I can’t drink alcohol.  A can of coke is fine though.”  Dean didn’t look him in the eye as he responded and thankfully, Castiel didn’t push the subject.  
  
“Certainly.  Would it bother you if I had a glass of wine?”  
  
“Not at all.”  Dean replied.  Castiel set their salads on the table and placed a can of Coke in front of Dean before pouring himself a glass of wine.  He sipped at it while he watched Dean eyeball the salad.  Finally, with a much put upon sigh, Dean dug in.  
  
“Well?”  
  
Dean gave a little half shrug.  “I’m not going to run home singing the praises of salads, but this isn’t half bad.”    
  
Castiel smirked as he began eating his own salad.  It was delicious.    
  
“So, no alcohol.  I’m guessing medication interaction?”  
  
Dean flinched but forced himself to keep eating.  
  
“Uh, yeah.”  
  
“Alfie can’t drink either.  Same reason.  He laments the fact that he can’t have a beer or do shots with Gabriel, but his anti-depressants would react negatively.  He hasn’t had a beer in 3 years.”  Castiel said.  Dean looked up from his empty salad bowl.  He got the distinct feeling that the doctor was trying to tell him he understood, and that it was alright.  
  
“He, uh, doesn’t even look old enough to drink.”  
  
Castiel smiled.  “Well, he’s 25.”  
  
“Huh.  Looks 16.”  
  
“Yes, good genetics, I suppose.”  Castiel mused.  
  
“So…he has depression?”  Dean hated talking about this.  He didn’t talk about it with Sam, with his mom, not even with Charlie.  But so far, nothing he’d said had brought about that look of pity in Castiel’s eyes.  Hopefully now wouldn’t be any different.  
  
“Alfie is bi polar but doctors struggled for years to find the right medications for him.  He was admitted to the hospital twice before they found the right combination.  He was cutting and tried to kill himself twice.  We came very close to losing him on his 20th birthday.  But, they figured it out finally and he began to flourish.  His life isn’t all wine and roses, but he’s in a much better place now.  And he’s earning straight A’s in school.  He’s also thinking of proposing to his girlfriend.”  
  
Castiel explained it all so casually as they moved from their salads to their food that Dean wasn’t left feeling as uncomfortable as he had expected.  He still didn’t want to talk about his own problems though.  But he needed to.  And wasn’t that the kicker?  
  
“I was first diagnosed with depression at 19.  I thought my doctor was nuts.  He put me on Prozac but I never filled the prescription.  I felt ok.  Basically, I was young and stupid.”  He said.  Castiel nodded, listening, but he didn’t interrupt.  “Anyway, I was always angry.  My dad treated me and Sam like crap, I was getting into fights constantly, getting drunk all the time which just made things worse.  It was a vicious cycle.  I went back to my doctor after a fight left me with an orbital fracture and a busted skull.  He was smarter than I’d given him credit for though and he asked a bunch of questions that I didn’t think were all that important but then he just looks at me and says “You’re not taking your medication, are you?”  So I said no, I wasn’t.  He canceled the rest of his afternoon appointments and spent the time talking to me about the different symptoms of depression.  Apparently aggression and sudden bouts of anger are signs, and that was what he had picked up on the first time.  So this time I got a new script, and I filled it, and I lasted maybe 3 months.  Sure, they kicked in and worked but I was exhausted.  Things got easier with my dad, not that we were getting along, but we weren’t fighting.  I wasn’t taking the bait every time he picked crap with me, and even if I did, I was too tired all the time.  So I went back and he switched me to something different.  I felt better.  I felt normal.   I didn’t tell my family though.  They still don’t know.  I felt well enough that I started doing better in college.  My mother had insisted that I go.  She wanted me to do better and go further than she or my dad ever had, and I felt the desire finally to succeed.  
  
“After about 3 years and 2 more medication adjustments, I suddenly got it in my head that I was cured.  That was about the time I met Benny.  We knew some of the same people and for a while we just sort of flirted but didn’t actually go any further than that.  I wasn’t looking for something serious and he was older than me by a few years.  For my 25th birthday though, Charlie threw me a party, and Benny came.  He asked me out after flirting half the night with me, and I said yes.  I was taking over my uncle’s auto shop at the time, and it was doing well, so I bought a house, and Benny moved in.  He was supposed to help me with the down payment but he didn’t really.  He covered a few meager bills while I covered everything else.  We lived together 10 years.  During that time I went off my meds.  I thought I was ok.  I hadn’t realized the anger was coming back, or the paranoia, and I dunno if that’s what did it for us or what, but he started cheating.  I loved him, I wanted to marry him, I’d even gone and gotten a ring.  And then one day I came home after a particularly bad day at work, I was already an emotional wreck, and…he was gone.  All of his stuff was gone.  I got a stupid little note saying he just couldn’t do it anymore, and that it wasn’t my fault.  But of course I blamed myself.  I had no idea why at the time that he would have left me like that.  It didn’t take me long to find out though.  
  
“So I thought I was doing ok after he left.  I didn’t cry.  I held it in, and in retrospect, I realize that was the wrong thing to do, but I did, and last year, Charlie tried to get me to come here with her, and I said no.  I was pushing everyone away.  I didn’t feel like I deserved their company, and I was just so fucking tired, emotionally, physically.  I felt like Atlas, carrying the world around on my shoulders, and it was getting too heavy to keep holding up.  Charlie, she’s stubborn.  She kept pushing the subject and I kept saying no.  Finally she just pushed too hard and I snapped.  I pissed her off and she told me to go to hell, and that maybe she needed to reevaluate our friendship.  I felt like the world’s biggest asshole, and I was sure I had lost her.  She’s my best friend, and I felt like I had just ruined 25 years 0f friendship.  I couldn’t work after that, I told my lead mechanic I was leaving, and I just started driving.  I didn’t get very far before I suffered a complete emotional breakdown.  Doctors called it a mental breakdown.  I had pulled over to the side of the road and I just…”  
  
Dean wasn’t looking at Castiel.  He couldn’t.  Instead, he focused on the snow falling outside.  
  
“I cried.  It was 3 months after Benny had left and I thought I was doing ok but I wasn’t.  My mom’s friend, she’s a sheriff.  Anyway, she found me and drove me to Bellview.  You know what that is?”  
  
“I do.  Alfie has been in and out of there over the last 9 years.”  Castiel replied quietly.  
  
“So yeah, I was put back on new meds, started seeing a therapist, had my depression upgraded from mild to severe, and I had to deal with how losing Benny made me feel.  All of the anger, the guilt, the pain, I had to get it out.  Slowly I started feeling better.  The meds helped, but talking helped more.  I…still see a therapist.  Twice a month.  I don’t miss Benny anymore.  But I don’t feel like I’m the same person I used to be.  It drives me nuts that all of my friends, they act like I’m a bomb about to go off, like one wrong word and I might jump off the nearest cliff if they say the wrong thing.  I’m not suicidal though, damn it.  And I’m not made of glass.”  
  
Dean was still staring out the window when he felt a hand close over his own.  He looked up to see Castiel looking at him, his blue eyes sympathetic but not pitying.  For that he was glad.  
  
“Depression is quite common, Dean.  There is nothing wrong with you.  I’m glad you sought out the help you needed and found it.  Your family and friends, I think they’re scared.  They’re scared of losing you, and the fact that you changed, that you’re not the aggressive, angry man you once were, that’s what throws them off.  They haven’t gotten the chance to know the real you.  I’m still getting to know you, but I like you as you are.  You’re very honest and kind, and it’s clear how much you care about the people in your life.  They’re lucky to have you.  But perhaps they should be given the same chance you’re giving me now.”  
  
Dean swallowed but the sudden lump in his throat wouldn’t go down.  Castiel was so accepting, so patient.  The man would have had an incredible career in psychiatry if he’d chosen that path instead.  
  
“Thanks, Cas.  I have to say, I’m really glad I met you.”  He squeezed the man’s hand.  Castiel smiled wider.  
  
“And I am glad to have met you as well, Dean.”  
  
  
  
“We need a doctor!”  A woman cried as she rushed into the lobby.  
  
“What happened?”  Claire was out from behind the desk and standing in front of the woman just a moment after she had come through the door.  
  
“My husband Earl, he fell down the mountain, on the novice slope, and his leg’s all twisted up!”  The woman was trembling, tears pouring down her face and people were trying to console her as Claire called her uncle.    
  
“Emergency, hill number 1!”  The girl said as soon as the call connected.  
  
“On my way.”  Castiel said before hanging up.  
  
“Doctor’s on his way right now.”  She said as she pocketed the phone and started back towards the desk.  She needed to call in a medicopter and let Gabe know what was happening.  She had barely gotten the call through to the hospital when Castiel came racing into the lobby.  He was pulling his coat on as he went.  Claire nodded towards the woman and he immediately went to her.  A moment later she was leading him out to the slopes.  
  
“Wow, that was intense!”  Sam Winchester had been sitting by the fireplace with Garth and Jo and the entire thing had left him a little shaken.  
  
“If the guy isn’t badly hurt they’ll be bringing him back here.”  A man with dirty blonde hair and the ugliest sweater Sam had ever seen in his life said as he sat down across from them.  
  
“I hope he’s ok.”  Jo worried her bottom lip as she continued staring towards the doors.  Other people were rushing around outside and the snow was starting to come down again.    
  
“I’ll know in about 2 minutes if he is.  Someone at the bottom of the slow will notify me.”  Mr. Ugly Sweater said.  Sam eyed the man for a moment.  
  
“I’m guessing from the sweater that you’re one of the Novak’s?”  
  
The man seemed a little nervous as he sat forward and offered his hand.  
  
“I’m Gabe.  This is my place.”  
  
Sam’s eyes widened and even Garth and Jo turned to look at him.  
  
“Oh, uh, I guess I should be saying thank you.  My name’s Sam, this here’s Garth and Jo.”  He shook the other man’s hand and watched as he did the same with Garth and Jo.  
  
“I know who you are.  You’re here with Charlie.  I just ran into her in the game room.  She’s teaching her friend Dorothy how to play pool in a very…unconventional way.”  The man smirked, his amber eyes twinkling.  Sam barked out a surprised laugh as he realized what the man was implying.  
  
“Oh.  Oh!”  Jo gasped and then burst out laughing.  Garth just chuckled and shook his head.  
  
“I knew she was into Dorothy.”  He said.  
  
“We all knew she was into Dorothy.”  Jo pointed out.  Sam nodded in agreement.   
  
“So, are you all enjoying your time here at the lodge?”  Gabe asked.    
  
“Oh, definitely.  This is the most I’ve gotten to relax all year.”  Jo said.  Sam chuckled and nodded in agreement.  
  
“I have seen you before, Sam, though I didn’t get to introduce myself.  You accompanied Charlie to one of our company parties a couple years back.”  Gabe’s cheeks reddened slightly when Sam arched an eyebrow.  
  
“You must have really good memory or something.”    
  
“Or something.”  Gabe rubbed his hands together and laughed nervously.  Sam looked at Jo who shrugged.    
  
“Hey guys.  Oh, hey, Gabe!”  Charlie greeted them as she walked into the lobby.  Dorothy was nowhere to be seen.  
  
“Hey there.  Is this everyone in you group?  I thought there were a few more.”  Gabe said as she sat down beside him.  “Aside from your “friend” in the game room.”  He winked, making her grin.  
  
“No, there are a few more.  Sam’s brother, Dean, our friend Cole, Cole’s girlfriend Vicky, and Ash is here somewhere too.”  
  
“Cool.  Dean’s been hanging out with my brother Castiel, I hear.”  Gabe sat back and turned a bit to face her.  
  
“That’s what I hear too.  Apparently they’re getting along very well.  I’m glad, Dean is a great guy.”    
  
Gabe smiled.  “So is Cassie.”  His phone chirped and he pulled it out of his pocket to check it.  His smile was instantly gone.  “Fuck.  That guy shattered his leg.  They’re airlifting him out of here now.”  
  
“Are you covered by insurance?  What waiver are you making guests sign before they ski?”  Sam asked.  “I went out with the others yesterday, but I didn’t actually ski, so I didn’t get a chance to look at it.”  
  
“Sam here’s a lawyer.  Corporate.”  Charlie explained.  
  
“Oh, well, I could show it to you.  Maybe you could revise it if it’s not detailed enough?  My lawyer, he can be a royal pain and he’s failed once before and gotten me sued over a technicality.”  Gabe turned his attention back to Sam who nodded eagerly.  
  
“Yeah, if I can prevent that, I’d be glad to help.”  
  
“You have the time now?  I have waivers for each level slope, and I have contracts written up that are probably in need of review regarding anyone that wanders onto my property.  I like to keep my ass covered in the event of someone else’s stupidity.  I once had a guy come hunting on my land, he fell, broke his leg, and tried to sue me.  He lost, I countersued just to get my point across.  My lawyer advised it.  No one has tried that since.”  Gabe got to his feet and Sam stood up as well.  “Wow, you’re like, ridiculously tall.”  
  
Sam laughed.  “Yeah, I hear that a lot.”  
  
They walked off in the direction of the front desk and Charlie got up and took Sam’s empty seat.  
  
“Gabe has the hots for Sam.”  Jo said.  
  
“Yeah, I know.  I had Sam come with me to a party once and afterwards Gabe kept asking me about him.  I knew he liked him.  I deliberately teased him and didn’t provide much more than his name.”  Charlie grinned.  
  
“You’re evil, you know that?”  Garth asked, laughing.  Charlie shrugged.  
  
“Maybe.  Say, anyone seen Dean today?”  
  
“Nope.  Not even sure he came down.”  Jo replied.  Charlie frowned.  
  
“You think he’s doing ok?  He’s not the same and I worry about him.”  
  
“I think he’s fine.  He’s calmer, more focused, and happy.  How is that a bad thing?”  Jo thought Dean was doing better than he had been.    
  
“Yeah, I guess.”  Charlie pulled at a hangnail on her index finger as she thought.  “It’s just, after his breakdown last year, I get scared that something will tip him over the edge again.  Having Benny walk out on him like he did, it messed him up bad, and he tried to pretend it didn’t.  I still don’t know how I didn’t notice he was depressed.  I’m his best friend.  I should notice these things.”  
  
“Because you’re human, therefore you’re fallible, that’s why you missed the signs.  You expected that he’d be sad, suicidal, that he’d show what we’re taught are the classical symptoms of depression, but it’s more than that.  It’s anger, it’s self-loathing, it’s an inability to focus, it’s lethargy, it’s emotional exhaustion, it’s self-harm, and it’s so much more than that.  Not everyone fits into the box that psychiatrists like to paint of a person with depression.  I’ve battled depression my entire life.  You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I have.  When it gets bad and my serotonin levels are low, I tend to get quiet and avoid people.  Everything just gets to be too much.  Living gets to be too much.  I saw the symptoms in Dean, but he wouldn’t open up to me and I didn’t want to push him.  He wasn’t ready for help then.  The Dean we saw back then?  The Dean we knew growing up?  That wasn’t the real Dean.  The real Dean is the man that’s here now.  Stop tiptoeing around him.  I know that’s why he’s not hanging around us here.  He doesn’t want you babying him.  It pisses him off.”  Garth ignored the way both women stared at him as he talked.  So what if he didn’t talk to them before about his mental health?  It wasn’t exactly a secret but it wasn’t something he bragged about either.  
  
“You…really?”  Jo reached over to take his hand.  “You never said anything.  I’ll always listen, that’s what friends are for.  If you ever need to talk, I’m here, ok?”  
  
He smiled and squeezed her hand.  “Thanks.  I’m good now.  I’m on the right medication, and I’m betting Dean is too.  This is the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”  
  
Charlie reached over Jo to place her own hand on top of theirs.  
  
“I feel like a self-absorbed asshole because I never noticed.  Or else you guys are really good at hiding it.”  
  
“People with depression, we put on our best smile to hide how bad we hurt inside.  So people without it won’t notice.  You have to know what to look for.”  Garth explained.  
  
“So Dean, he’s in a good place now?  This is how he’s supposed to be?”  She asked.  
  
“Yep.  So don’t coddle him or he’s liable to push you away.  And you might want to pass that tidbit on to Sam.  He does it even more than you do.”    
  
“I’m going to see if he wants to talk or something.  I miss him.”  She said.  He knew what she meant.  Sure, Dean was around physically, but since his breakdown last winter, he hadn’t really been there emotionally.  Now she had an understanding of why.  Determined to start fresh, she got to her feet.  “I’ll catch you guys later.”  
  
“Bye, Charlie.”  Garth and Jo both said in unison as they watched her leave.  She headed straight for the elevators.  First place to check was going to be his room.  
  
  
  
Dean had just finished the last paragraph of the World War II novel he’d borrowed from the library downstairs when he heard the knock at his door.  He closed the book and stood up from the chair he’s been sitting in.  Most of the morning he’d been alternating between reading and watching the people out on the slopes.  He’d seen the man get tangled up in his skis a while back and go tumbling down the mountain.  A few minutes later a snowmobile, no doubt driven by Castiel, was flying down the mountain.  A little while later he heard the sounds of a helicopter, and then saw it in the distance.  So the man had ended up hurt.  Dean winced and tried not to think about that.  He was sure Castiel would mention it later.  They had plans to meet for dinner that evening.  In the meantime, he had been determined to finish the book, and he had.    
  
He pulled the door open, unsurprised to see Charlie there.  
  
“Sup, biotch.”  She greeted him as she marched past him into the room.    
  
“Hey, what are you doing up here?”  He asked.  
  
“Same could be asked of you.”  She remarked as she flopped back in his bed and propped her hands behind her head.  “What are you even doing up here?”  
  
“I was reading.  I actually just finished the book.”  He close the door and went to stand next to the bed.  “What are you up to?”  
  
“Well, I tried to show Dorothy how to play pool, but ended up making out with her.  Then she laid the whole “I’m not looking for a relationship” line on me, so I went to hang out with Sam, Garth, and Jo in the lobby.  They got to meet my boss.  By the way, my boss has this huge crush on your brother.”  
  
Dean’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “What?  How old is the guy?”  
  
“Like 44 or something.  He’s pretty young at heart though.  Gabe’s a really cool guy.”  She replied.  
  
“And he likes Sam.  How do you know he likes him?”  He sat down on the edge of the bed, curiosity getting the best of him.  She sat up and after kicking he shoes off, crossed her legs and leaned her elbows on her knees.  
  
“Ok, so a couple years back, there was a company party and for whatever reason, I didn’t have a date, so I asked Sam to go with me.  Just so I didn’t have to go alone.  There’s this guy Dale in the mailroom that just does not comprehend the meaning of the word “lesbian”.  Anyway, we enjoyed the party, drank punch, ate food, and we went home.  The following Monday Gabe is on my ass like white on rice, asking me who my date was, what his name was, how well I knew him, that sort of stuff.  I knew he was interested, so I teased him a bit.  Gave him Sam’s name, but nothing else.  When he saw Sam in the lobby he practically had hearts in his eyes, it was so cute.  It was harder gauging your brother’s reactions though.  He seemed surprised that Gabe remembered him from the party, and maybe a little impressed too.  A guy fell out on the slopes so Sam offered to go over the waivers Gabe has made up for guests that want to ski to sign, in case anyone gets hurt.  So now they’re probably sitting somewhere, Sam bent over boring documents, Gabe staring at him like he’s lunch.”    
  
Dean laughed at the image, and at her enthusiasm.  It had been ages since they had sat around talking so freely like this.  He had missed it.  
  
“Well, Sam’s a big boy.  If he doesn’t like your boss flirting, he’ll say so.  That’s if your boss can stop making googly eyes long enough to actually flirt.”  
  
She giggled and nodded.  “I’m totally going to stare at them later.”  
  
“Let me know what you find out.  I want to know if I have ammunition to use against him later.”  He would tease the hell out of Sam if he had the chance.  
  
“Turnabout is fair play, remember that.  If you tease him about Gabe, he’s going to tease you right back about Castiel.”  She pointed a finger at him, smiling when she saw the blush that rose up on his cheeks.  
  
“Do people have nothing better to talk about?  Geesh!”  
  
“So tell me about this handsome doctor man.  Obviously he’s educated.  Is he good looking?”  She was in gossip mode, he could tell.  With a roll of his eyes he laid back across the foot of the bed.  
  
“Yeah, he’s probably one of the best looking guys I’ve ever seen.  Dark hair, big, blue eyes, killer smile.  He thinks he’s awkward, but I don’t find him to be.  And he’s really nice.  We spent most of yesterday talking.  He’s really easy to talk to.”  
  
“Is he potential dating material?”  She asked.  
  
“I-I don’t think he sees me that way.  I think he just wants to be friends, and I’m ok with that.”  His smile faded.  Castiel was way out of his league anyway, and after unloading on him the way he had last night he doubted the man would have any kind of romantic interest in him.  He tried to ignore how much that hurt.  
  
“Well, he might just not be the dating type.  What makes you think he wouldn’t be interested?  Is he straight?”  
  
“No, he’s gay.”  He replied.  
  
“Well, give him the benefit of the doubt.  He might surprise you.”  She said.  
  
“Yeah, maybe.”  He wasn’t going to hold his breath on that one.  
  
“You want to play a game of pool with me?”  She asked.  
  
“You know what?  I think I would.”  He sat up.  “Let me grab my shoes.”  
  
She put her own back on and followed him to the door.  
  
“Loser owes $20.”  She announced as they stepped out into the hall.  His grin was wicked and that was the brightest she had seen his eyes in ages.  
  
“You’re on.”  
  
  
  
Castiel saw Mr. and Mrs. Blevins off in the medicopter before getting back on the snowmobile and heading back up to the lodge.  He was cold and aching from his time spent kneeling in the snow trying to examine and then splint the man’s leg.  It was a bad break but it was clean.  He’d make a full recovery if he was careful and didn’t overdo it.  Back in the lodge he just couldn’t shake the chill.  The sun was starting to set and he wasn’t meeting Dean for dinner until 7, so with the slopes officially closing for the day, he decided a soak in the hot tub was in order.  He waved to Hael as he passed through the lobby to the elevator.  Once he reached his room he changed into his swimming trunks and put on his robe.  The ride back down to the first floor was quick and as he approached the room where the hot tub was, he heard voices.  He’d hoped it would be empty but one voice in particular stood out.  Stepping into the room he saw Dean sitting with a red head that wasn’t his sister, Anna.  The moment Dean spotted him, his entire face lit up.  
  
“Hey, Cas!  You gonna join us?”  
  
“Is there room for me too?”  Castiel joked.  
  
“Dork, of course there is.”  Dean grinned.  Castiel undid the robe and took it off, careful to hang it on the hook by the door.  Turning to walk over to the tub he noticed the way Dean’s eyes slid down his body.  It gave him chills, in a very pleasant way.  He liked having Dean look at him like that.  Sliding into the water with a contented sigh, he turned his attention to the woman sitting next to Dean.  
  
“Hello, I’m Castiel.”    
  
“Hi, I’m Charlie.”  She gave a little wave which made him smile.  
  
“Oh, Gabriel’s computer analyst.  He speaks very highly of you.  He says you saved the company.”  
  
“I dunno about that, but I do work hard.  It’s nice to be noticed and appreciated though.  He’s the best boss I’ve ever worked for.”  She admitted.   
  
“My brother is a good employer, generous and fair.  It has done him well in business because he chooses only the best to work for him.”    
  
“Including you and the rest of the family?”  Dean asked teasingly.  Castiel smiled.  
  
“That…is a little bit different.  This was more about giving employment to the people he cares most about.  Of course, some of us had jobs already, but working with family has its benefits.  And as I said before, the pay has its perks.”  
  
“Indeed.”  Dean smiled back.  
  
“So, you guys seem to know each other pretty well.  Am I missing something?”  Charlie asked.  Castiel actually blushed and looked away, something Dean hadn’t expected.  
  
“We met the other day in the kitchen and just got to talking.  I told you that, Red.  Cas and me, we get along.”    
  
“Yes, for someone that conversation does not come easily to with most people, I find it exceptionally easy with Dean.”  Castiel added.  Dean caught the man’s eye and winked, pleased to see the blush return.  So maybe Castiel did like him.  What was he to do with that information though?  
  
“Yeah, that’s how Dean and I met.  We ended up in history class together in what, 7th grade?”  Charlie looked to Dean who nodded.  
  
“6th or 7th, something like that.”  
  
“And I just struck up a conversation.  He was doodling in his notebook, images of Batman, so I showed him my own drawings.  We got to talking and I guess we never stopped.”  She nudge Dean with her elbow and he laughed as ne nudged her back.    
  
“Charlie here doesn’t know when to stop talking.”  He joked.  
  
“Oh, shut up.”  She laughed and shook her head.  
  
“Are you enjoying your time here?”  Castiel asked as he relaxed down even more into the water.  It chased away the chill he could not get rid of before.  
  
“I am.  What about you?”  Charlie looked at Dean who quickly nodded.  
  
“I’m having a much nicer time than I’d expected.  Finished the book I took out of the library and returned it this afternoon.  I’m thinking about finding another one, but maybe it’s time to see what else there is to do here.”  
  
“Like skiing?”  She asked excitedly.  
  
“Not skiing, you’re not getting me out on those death sticks.”  He laughed.  
  
“I have done cross country skiing, and that’s it.  Downhill skiing is terrifying.”  Castiel said.  He was now just barely above the water.  
  
“Is there a pool here?”  Dean looked around for any doors he had missed but aside from a changing room and a linen closet, he didn’t see anything marked pool.  
  
“No, not too many people want to swim in the winter, Dean.”  Castiel looked at him in amusement.  
  
“Oh, guess I’m alone in that.”  Dean laughed.  
  
“No, I’d swim too, if there were a pool, since going for a run is not an option here.  Unless I use a treadmill in the gym.”  Castiel sat up a bit more and Dean found it hard not to stare at his chest.  
  
“Wait, there’s a gym here too?”  Charlie asked.  
  
“It’s staff only.”  Castiel replied.  
  
“Yeah, well, there are more interesting ways to work out.”  She waggled her eyebrows and Castiel stared for a moment before bursting out laughing.  
  
“Oh!”  
  
Dean found that he liked the way the doctor blushed.  It looked good on him.  
  
“Hey, I thought you were going to wait for me?”  
  
All heads turned to see Sam standing in the doorway.  
  
“Sorry, Charlie dragged me down here.”  Dean replied, grinning sheepishly.  Sam pursed his lips and shook his head.  
  
“Stay put, I’m going to go put on my trunks.  I’ll be down in a few.”  
  
He turned and marched out of the hot tub room.  
  
“I expect my brother will be along shortly.”  Castiel mused.  
  
“Yeah, I heard he’s hot for my brother.”  Dean grinned at his friend when she giggled.  Castiel smiled as well.  
  
“Yes, that is a way of putting it.  Apparently he thinks Sam is the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen.”  
  
“Well, it’s not fair how good looking the Winchester brothers are.”  Charlie said, paying special attention to the way Castiel’s eyes went instantly to Dean and then flittered away, as though he weren’t allowed to look.  It was…cute, but she had the feeling it would quickly become annoying if all they did was dance around one another.  
  
“I’m not that good looking.”  Dean argued.  “My legs are fucking bowed and I’m getting fat.”  
  
“That has nothing to do with your face or your heart, Dean.  You won’t win this argument.  I see how people look at you when we all go out.  You’re very handsome.  Even I can see that, and I’m not into guys.”  She poked him hard in the chest, smiling when she made him wince.  Castiel sucked in lower lip to refrain from smiling as he moved a hair to the left so the jets were hitting his lower back.  It felt amazing.  Dean looked both humbled and embarrassed by his friend’s words.  He wanted to agree with Charlie, to say Dean was the most attractive man he had seen in a very long time, and his personality was wonderful.  Dean was the type of man he wanted to get to know better, to maybe see if there could be something more than…whatever this was, but he was horrible at flirting and worse at telling someone how he felt.  So he stayed quiet, watching the playful banter between Dean and his friend, and when Sam returned, wearing nothing but his trunks and slid into the water, he quietly moved over and watched as the younger Winchester launched into the conversation without hesitation.  Dean though noticed him sitting there quietly.  
  
“Your brothers and sisters pick on you too, Cas?”  He asked.  Castiel smiled before sighing.  
  
“Yes, more than I like, but I know they love me.”  
  
“See?  Teasing means we love you.”  Charlie pinched Dean’s cheek and he pushed her hand away before moving across the tub to sit next to Castiel.  
  
“Tell me it’s safe to sit next to you.”  He was grinning and Castiel found him to be even more beautiful when he was happy like that.  
  
“No, he’s gonna pinch your other cheeks!”  Charlie cried.  Castiel blinked, his blue eyes wide as he looked at her.  He whipped his head around to face Dean again.  
  
“I wouldn’t do that, I swear.”  
  
Dean’s laughter rung out around the small room as he leaned back, placing his arms on the edge of the tub.  One of them ending up behind Castiel.  He saw a chance to flirt, especially when the man seemed to drift closer instead of further away, so he took it.  
  
“What’s the matter, Cas, you too proper?  You don’t want to, even a little?”  
  
He expected more blushing, more of the adorable, shy embarrassment.  What he didn’t expect was the hand that suddenly gripped his ass.  And squeezed.  A high pitched yelp escaped his lips and he jumped, missing the seat entirely when he came down and slipping completely under the water.  Strong hands grabbed him and hauled him back up onto the seat, sputtering and spitting water everywhere.  Sam and Charlie were howling with laughter.  Dean wiped his eyes and turned to see a downright wicked smile on the doctor’s face.  
  
“Damn, Cas, warn a guy!”  He laughed and bumped his shoulder against the other man’s.  Castiel’s expression turned earnest as he leaned closer.  
  
“I did not overstep my bounds, did I?”  
  
“No, no you didn’t.”  Dean assured him.  
  
“Oh, good.  My eldest brothers like to tell me that I lack a sense of humor, and that I don’t know how to have fun.  I am, however, not one to back down from a challenge.”  He smiled and Dean found that he wanted to see a lot more of that smile.  
  
“Your sense of humor is fine.  I like it.  Screw anyone that can’t see how funny you are.”  Dean stretched out again, laying his arms across the edge of the tub, except this time Castiel leaned back against him.    
  
“Thank you, Dean, that means a lot to me.”  He said, smiling a little wider.  For the first time in what felt like forever, the dormant butterflies in Dean’s stomach began to flutter.  It was that moment he realized how truly fucked he was.  
  
  
  
“Cassie!  I know you’re in there, I saw lover boy leaving just a few minutes ago.  Open up!”  Gabe knocked again on his brother’s bedroom door and waited.  He heard cursing and the sound of something hitting the floor and then the door was opening.  
  
“What is it, Gabe?  It’s late.”  Castiel glared in annoyance at his brother.  
  
Gabe grinned as he looked his brother over.  Clothes were intact, including socks and slippers, though his shirt was slightly rumpled and untucked in one corner.  His messy hair was nothing to go by, it always looked like that.  It was a little disappointing.  He’d hoped his brother was up here getting some action.  Lord knew he needed it.  
  
“I just got in last night.  Wanted to see my little brother.  We haven’t talked much lately.  How have you been?”  
  
Castiel relaxed a bit, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips.  
  
“I’ve been well.  Work has kept me busy, but not too many accidents here.”  He stepped back to let his brother into the room.  
  
“Is that all you came up here for, are you interested in the rumors about myself and Dean?  Judging from your comment as you knocked on the door.”  Castiel smirked as he returned to his chair by the window and after closing the door behind himself, Gabe joined him.  
  
“Nah, I was just teasing.  If you’re into Dean, that’s cool.  If you’re not, then our brothers and sisters are apparently seeing things that aren’t there.  I haven’t met the man yet, or seen you with him, I’m just going off what they’ve said.”  
  
Castiel sighed heavily as he looked his brother in the eye.  
  
“I have enlightening conversations with Dean.  I enjoy his company.  There are few people I can be so free with, but I am comfortable with Dean.”  
  
“And you think he’s hot.”  Gabe cocked an eyebrow.  
  
Castiel rolled his eyes.  Though Gabe was the most crass and perverse of all the Novak children, he was the only one that had never treated him like he was weird or awkward.  In return, he was the one that tolerated his brother’s quirky nature the best.    
  
“And what would you say if I did?”  
  
“I’d say it’s about damn time, and then I’d ask what you were planning to do about it?”  Gabe countered.  
  
“I don’t know.  He’s wonderful, and incredibly attractive but I don’t know if he’d be interested in a relationship.”  
  
Gabe chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment as he considered his brother’s words.  
  
“But you’d like to pursue one?”  
  
Castiel felt himself blushing for what felt like the hundredth time that day.  
  
“I think I would.  I’ve only known him a few days, but yes, I’d like time to get to know him better.”  
  
“And maybe hump like rabbits?”  Gabe was teasing but Castiel did want that.  
  
“I grabbed his butt today.  On a dare.”    
  
“You what?”  Gabe cried,  “What the hell kind of dare was that?!”  
  
Castiel chuckled and explained the challenge Dean had given him in the hot tub.  
  
“Wait, you’re telling me you got to see Sam Winchester almost naked?  Fuck you’re lucky!”  Gabe slapped his hand on the table in annoyance and more jealousy than his brother had ever seen before.  
  
“Well, to be fair, I wasn’t looking at Sam too hard.  He’s handsome, but he’s not Dean.”  Castiel was amused by his brother’s reaction.  Gabe was grumbling to himself and it was rather hilarious.    
  
“That was pretty ballsy of you.”  Gabe finally admitted.  
  
“Yes, I surprised myself, but it was the only obvious way I felt I could respond to his flirting.  He started it.  I…finished it.”  Castiel shrugged.  
  
“You sly dog, you.”  Gabe laughed.  Castiel found himself joining in.    
  
“He’s amazing, Gabriel.  I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anyone as much as I’ve wanted him.”  
  
“Then go after him.  What were you guys doing in here anyways?  It wasn’t making out like teenagers like I expected.”  
  
“We were having dinner, and talking.  I wanted to kiss him, or at least touch him, but he wasn’t making a move, so I was afraid to.”  Castiel was upset with himself for that.  He was in his 40’s, he should know how to flirt and go after what he wanted.  It hadn’t been this hard with Amelia, though thinking back, she had pursued him, and being religious, she hadn’t been much for flirting either.  Not having any sexual attraction to her probably didn’t make matters any better.  This was different.  He was deeply attracted to Dean, both to his mind and his body, and there was this pull he felt, drawing him to the man.  That was something he’d never experienced before and it was a little scary.  Maybe his brother was right?  
  
“So if you want that, go for it.  You don’t need to flirt to find out what you want.  Ask him how he feels, but be honest about how you feel too.”  
  
Gabe was right.  Sitting around and wondering about it wouldn’t get him anywhere.  If he wanted to know how Dean felt, his best bet was to ask him.  He pushed his chair back and stood up.  
  
“I think I’ll go and talk to him now.”  
  
Gabe clapped his hands together and stood up too.  
  
“Good!  I’m going to go harass Hael for a bit.  I’ve missed her sassy wit.  You let me know how it works out, ok?”  
  
Castiel was already marching towards the door.  
  
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you’ll seek me out tomorrow.”    
  
He was out the door and already getting into the elevator when Gabe stepped into the hall and pulled the door closed.  
  
“Damn right I will, little brother.  Damn right I will.”  He laughed softly to himself.  
  
  
  
Dean had just changed for bed and brushed his teeth when someone knocked.  He was still wondering which of his friends was showing up drunk when he opened the door and found a rather frazzled looking Castiel standing there.  
  
“Cas?  Everything ok?”  He asked.  Considering he’d seen the man only a half hour earlier he couldn’t imagine why he’d be showing up at his room now.    
  
“Dean, I, um, I wanted to…And um…”  
  
The normally eloquent doctor was very flustered and even more tongue tied.  It was adorable and maybe a little alarming.  Dean reached out and grasped the man by the elbow.  
  
“Come in here.”  
  
Castiel followed easily and after checking to make sure no one else was in the hall, Dean shut the door.  When he turned around he found Castiel staring absently at the bed.  
  
“Ok, what’s going on?”  
  
“I-I…”  Castiel stammered.  
  
“Cas,”  Dean walked over and placed his hands on the man’s shoulders.  He was starting to worry now.  “Is something wrong?  Did someone do something to you?”  
  
Castiel took a deep, shuddering breath before finally looking him in the eye.  
  
“I’m too damn old to be acting like this.”  He grumbled.  Dean relaxed, chuckling.  
  
“Like you’re about to give a presidential speech in your underwear?  Yeah, I tend to agree.  I have some coke in the mini fridge, you want one?”  
  
“No, but thank you for the offer.”  Castiel smiled faintly.  “I should be smoother than this.  I was married for Christ’s sake.”  
  
“Ok, I’m listening.”  Dean took a half step back and crossed his arms, waiting.  
  
“I like you, Dean.  I am comfortable with you.”  
  
Dean smiled.  “Except maybe right now?”  
  
Castiel’s smiled wider.  
  
“I have made myself uncomfortable, it has nothing to do with you.”  
  
“Well, continue.”  Dean waved with one hand and Castiel took a deep breath.  
  
“I don’t really know how to flirt.”  
  
“Well, you could have fooled me earlier.”  Dean dropped his arms and stepped closer.  “Cas, are you trying to tell me you like as something more than a friend?”  
  
  
Castiel huffed out a laugh.  “Yes, and I thought I’d be able to just come down here and tell you how I feel, but then I saw your face and…and…”.  
  
Dean grabbed him and kissed him.   
  
It only took a moment for Castiel to catch on.  A rather eager noise escaped the back of his throat as he pulled Dean into his arms.  At the first gentle swipe of Dean’s tongue against his lips he opened up to let him in.  He pulled Dean even closer.  It had been a very long time since he had been this physically attracted to another person, and he knew a lot of it had to do with who Dean was as a person.  
  
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful, Dean.”  He stroked the back of his hand down Dean’s cheek and smiled when those green eyes opened and met his own blue ones.  
  
“I didn’t think you were interested, at least, not until the hot tub earlier.  Then I thought, maybe.  I was sure I had scared you off the other night.”  Dean didn’t remember grabbing the other man’s hips but he was reluctant now to let him go.    
  
“No, you didn’t scare me off.  I understand what you’re going through.”  Cas leaned in to kiss him again, tenderly this time.  “I would like, after we are all back home again, to take you out.  Could I interest you in having dinner at my place?  I’d like to cook for you.”  
  
“Yeah?  I’d like that.  Are you going to make me eat salad?”  Dean teased.  Castiel laughed softly before stealing another kiss.  
  
“Would that be so bad?”  
  
“Not at all.”  Dean replied.  If it meant a romantic dinner with the handsome doctor, he’d eat a million salads.  Ok, maybe not, but he’d eat whatever Castiel made.  This was truly the happiest he’d been in a long, long time.  
  
  
  
Anna was just coming out of her room when she saw her brother stepping out of the elevator.  Castiel had a look of deep contentment on his face, and, she realized, the sweater from the night before was draped over his shoulder.  His clothes were rumpled which was completely out of character for him.  
  
“Where have you been?”  She had always been curious, and her brother was piquing it majorly at the moment.  He looked up at the sound of her voice, his smile never wavering.  
  
“I spent the night with Dean.”  He replied.    
  
“Seriously?”  She smelled gossip, which she lived for.  
  
“Get your mind out of the gutter.  We didn’t have sex.  But we did kiss enough that my lips actually ache.  Then we laid in bed talking until we fell asleep.  It’s the most peaceful night’s sleep I’ve had in ages.  I invited him over for dinner when we get back.  I’m looking forward to cooking for him.”  He actually sighed and it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen.    
  
“Oh, you should make your famous roast, and the garlic and rosemary potatoes.  Woo him right.  And don’t forget the wine!”  She was happy for her brother, even if he got the guy and she didn’t.  He was her brother and she wanted him to be happy.  He smiled warmly at her.  
  
“Thank you.  I’m going to get showered and changed.  I’ll perhaps see you downstairs later.”    
  
“I’m happy for you, Cassie.  Really.”  She stopped to hug him on her way to the elevator.  “Don’t forget, today is Belgian waffle day!”  She waved over her shoulder as she continued on.  His stomach rumbled at thought of food.  A Belgian waffle actually sounded wonderful.  First things first, a shower was in order.  
  
  
  
“I caught Cassie coming back from Dean’s room a few minutes ago.  He looks soooo happy.  Told me he asked Dean out.”  Anna had the words out of her mouth before she had even set her tray of food down on the table.  Michael, Gabe and Luc all looked up in surprise.  
  
“Go, Cassie!”  Gabe fist pumped the air, which made both his brothers snort in amusement.  Figures, as twins they usually had similar reactions.    
  
“He says they didn’t have sex, but they were making out like teenagers.  His lips were so red it was funny,”  Anna mused as she cut her waffle into smaller pieces.  “I’m glad he’s happy.”  
  
“I’m surprised.  You were upset about not getting a shot at Dean for yourself.”  Gabe said.  She shrugged.  
  
“I can get any guy I want.  Cassie could too, if he had more confidence in himself, but he’s so shy and awkward around new people.  So if he likes Dean, and Dean likes him. I’m not going to be a bitch and get in the way.  I happen to love him.”  Anna set her knife down and pointed her fork in Gabe’s direction.  “What’s this I hear about you drooling over Dean’s brother?  He’s gorgeous. I saw him out on the slopes.  He chickened out at the last moment and decided to just hang back and watch.  I flirted, but then Balthy told me you were interested.  Am I not going to get any hot guys this winter?”  
  
Michael choked on a piece of his omelet, he was laughing so hard.  
  
“Told you, you should just hit that if you’re so interested,”  Luc said.  Gabe shot him a baleful look.  
  
“I can’t just hit that. I spent hours with him the other day and it was all spent going over the contracts. He did find a few more things to add in that will cover my ass in the event of lawsuits, but I didn’t get the impression he was interested. I’m probably too old for him anyway,” Gabe grumbled.    
  
“You’re only as old as you feel,”  Michael said.  Anna and Luc nodded in agreement.  
  
They chatted some more about the day ahead and scheduling, but when Castiel came walking in they all fell silent and watched him go to get his food with quiet interest.  When he spotted them watching him, his eyes narrowed.  
  
“Why are you looking at me like that?”  
  
“How’d you sleep, little brother?”  Luc asked?  He didn’t even bother to try and hide his wicked grin.  Castiel turned on Anna, his annoyance bleeding through in his voice and expression.  
  
“Anna!”  
  
“You looked adorable earlier,” she countered.  
  
“I’m not dealing with this.”  He had planned to join his siblings, but not for a morning of teasing.    
  
“Oh, come on, Cassie!”  Gabe couldn’t stop laughing as he tried to convince his brother to stay.  “We care about you!”  
  
Castiel flipped them off as he started for the door.  Dean, however, chose that moment to walk in.  
  
“Hey, gorgeous,” he greeted the doctor.  Castiel blushed even as he smiled.  
  
“Good morning, Dean.”  He leaned in closer and dropped his voice.  “Again.”  
  
Dean grinned and dared to steal a kiss.  He ignored the whistles and cat calls from Castiel’s siblings across the room.  
  
“Mmm, waffles?  I need some of those.”  Dean started for the line.  Castiel hesitated only a moment before following.  
  
“I was going to eat in the reading room.  Would you care to join me?” he asked.  
  
“Yeah, of course.  Just let me overload myself on carbs here.”  Dean shot a flirty smile over his shoulder that had Castiel smiling back.  
  
“You should grab fruit too.”  
  
“Yes, mother.”  Dean teased.  “I was planning on it anyway.  I love strawberries.”  
  
After loading his plate up with fruit, bacon, and a huge waffle, he followed Castiel out of the room.  
  
“He didn’t even introduce us,”  Gabe pouted.  
  
“Would you?”  Luc asked.  Gabe laughed.  
  
“Definitely not!”  
  
  
  
“Has anyone seen Dean?”  Sam asked.  
  
“I went up to his room, but he’s not in there,”  Charlie said from her perch on the edge of the couch.  They had all gathered in the common room, along with some other guests.  It was just after 8 and people were gathering for the fireworks that were going to be set off somewhere on the property.  There was supposed to be a big show of it, and everyone staying at the lodge had been invited.    
  
“I saw him.  He was…busy, with a dark-haired guy.”  Garth chuckled.  
  
“Busy?”  It took a moment for Sam to realize what he meant.  “Oh.  Oh!”  He laughed.  “I guess he’s really getting along with Castiel.”  
  
“Apparently so,”  Charlie mused.  
  
“I hope he’s not jumping into something he’s not ready for,”  Sam worried.  
  
“I’m not jumping into anything, Sammy.  You need to stop worrying about me.”  Dean came striding in with a man dressed in a tacky yellow and red sweater with elves on it and they sat together in an oversized chair near the fireplace.  “For those that haven’t met him, this is Castiel.  Cas, these are my friends.  Aside from Charlie and Sam, who you already met, this is Ash, Garth, Cole, Vicky and…”  Dean had pointed each person out but he realized one was missing.  
  
“Where’s Dorothy?”  
  
“Right here!  Here I am!”  The woman came rushing in, her normally braided hair flowing free and trailing behind her as she sat down on the floor between Charlie and Ash’s legs.  
  
“And this is Dorothy,”  Dean finished with a grin.  
  
“It’s nice to meet you all.”  Castiel nodded politely since it was impossible to lean forward and shake everyone’s hands with Dean half on top of him.  
  
“Where were you?”  Charlie asked, her eyes locking on Dean.  
  
“Don’t worry about it.”  Dean replied with a wicked smirk.  
  
“Uh huh.”  Charlie rolled her eyes.  
  
“Hello, everyone!” Gabe came striding into the room with Michael, Anna, Rachel, Claire, and Hael.  
  
“Should you be with your family?”  Dean asked Castiel.  
  
“No, it’s not necessary.  He just rounded them up and made them come.  I’m already here.”  Castiel replied.  He nodded towards the desk.  “Same for Luc.”  
  
“So, as per tradition, we do a celebration every New Year’s Eve.  We’ll be opening the bar up at 10.  Out back we have a large patio and beyond the patio is a staging area for fireworks.  The lodge is open year round, though we really have the most guests over the winter.  We have a fireworks that we will be setting off right at midnight.  You may come out onto the patio if you wish, however, if you do not want to be outside in the cold, you can view from inside, safe and warm behind the huge windows I had installed for your viewing pleasure.  I hope you all have a wonderful evening and that you will come stay with us again soon.”    
  
Gabe did a little wave as he looked around the room.  When his eyes lingered on Sam he offered a tentative smile and a quick nod before moving forward to people that were eager to talk with him.  
  
“Dude, he’s so into you.”  Cole laughed.  Sam’s cheeks were burning as he shot his friend a dirty look.  
  
“He’s right.  His heart flutters every time he looks at your girl hair,”  Dean teased.  
  
“Shut up, jerk.”  Sam growled as he crossed his arms and glared at his brother.  His reaction was downright hysterical to Dean, who couldn’t stop laughing.  
  
“Make me, bitch!”  
  
“Dean, teasing is not nice.”  Castiel admonished, though it didn’t have nearly the effect he had intended as he was fighting not to laugh too.  
  
“Maybe not, but it’s fun!”  Dean argued.  Castiel couldn’t stop himself from smiling.    
  
“Someone has a crush on our Sammy.  It’s so cute!”  Charlie tried to pinch his cheek, but he slapped her hand away.  
  
“I’m glad they’re picking on him for a change instead of me,”  Dean said just soft enough that only Castiel could hear him.  
  
“Mmm, I know the feeling.  My brothers are still being a pain because I won’t introduce you.  I know them though, and I know they will seek out every opportunity to embarrass me.  Luc might very well bring up bedwetting issues from my childhood.”    
  
Dean took the man’s hand, threading their fingers together.  
  
“Did you have a bedwetting problem?” he teased.  Castiel bumped him hard with his shoulder.  
  
“That’s not the point.”  
  
“It kind of is.”  Dean laughed.  “But seriously, I don’t care if you wet the bed til you were 10, wore braces, had pimples, called your mom ‘mommy’ til you were 30, played band, none of that matters because I’m in the here and now, and I like you just as you are.”  Dean shifted a bit so he could bring their mouths together in a gentle kiss.  
  
“I feel the same way.  We are not the sum of our past, but we are better for it.  Mostly.  I suppose that doesn’t apply to serial killers,” Castiel mused.  
  
“Your nerd brain is a wondrous thing.  I look forward to seeing just how it works,”  Dean said with a smile.  Castiel smiled back.  
  
“You are the first person to tell me that.  Most people just tell me I’m strange, and they don’t want to talk with me anymore.  You make me feel…normal.  Thank you.”  He leaned in to Dean, placing his head on the man’s shoulder.    
  
“You’re amazing, Cas.  I’m glad I came on this trip.”  Dean meant that too.  Castiel tilted his head back to kiss the bolt of his jaw.  
  
“I’m glad you did too.”  
  
  
  
The evening wore on, everyone talking and having a wonderful time.  It was the most fun Dean had experienced with his friends in a long time.  Everyone was so relaxed and happy; it was wonderful.  Having Castiel at his side made things even better.  Charlie had finally stopped watching him, like she expected him to just suddenly snap, but Sam unfortunately had not.  Sam was partaking in the free-flowing alcohol, laughing and joking with everyone, and even doing a little teasing flirting with Gabe, but every now and then Dean would feel eyes on him.  Every single time it would be Sam, watching him with a mixture of concern and wariness, like Dean was a bomb just waiting to go off.  It was starting to get on his nerves.  Aside from that, they were getting along better than they had in years.    
  
Eventually Michael, Luc, and Hael made their way around, and they insisted on meeting Dean.  Michael and Luc did their best to embarrass their brother, but Dean simply kissed Castiel’s cheek and reassured him that it was alright.  He knew what it was like having siblings, and especially what it was like being the older brother.  It was his duty to pick on Sam, and he would do it to Adam too, if the kid was still in his life.  Hael, as the younger sibling like her brother, was much more polite and very sweet.  Dean found himself wondering, with the dark hair and bright blue eyes that both she and Castiel shared, whether those genes would be passed on to Castiel’s kids someday.  The man was absolutely stunning.  Any kids he produced would be just as beautiful.  It felt weird thinking such a thing as that, so Dean quickly chased the thought away.  
  
At 11:30 Dean found himself pressed up against a wall around the corner from the common room, his arms around Castiel’s waist.  They were simply talking, enjoying a moment of peace amid all the activity.  It wasn’t that they hadn’t gotten plenty of alone time in the last few days, but that they could never get enough of it.  They talked about the dinner Castiel was planning to make them, and Dean promised to bring a pie for dessert.  
  
“Can it be cherry?  That’s my favorite.”  Castiel turned those big blue eyes on him, and Dean was helpless against them.  How had he only met this man less than a week ago?  He just felt so comfortable with Castiel that it felt as though he’d known him a lifetime already.  Ten years with Benny and it had taken close to 2 years before he had felt that level of comfort.  Even then there had been a lingering feeling that he never really knew the real Benny, and considering he hid his mental illness from the man, he didn’t think Benny ever really knew him either.  He didn’t get that feeling from Castiel though.    
  
“I can definitely make cherry.  In fact, I’ll make 2.  One cherry, one apple.”    
  
Castiel smiled brightly at that.  
  
“That sounds wonderful.  I am planning to make a roast, and I was thinking of garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes to go with it, and perhaps asparagus?”  
  
“You’re making me hungry,”  Dean joked.  He licked his lips and pulled Cas a little closer.  “How does this sound.  We’ll do dinner at your place Sunday, and maybe Tuesday I can cook for you.”  
  
“Yeah?  You want me to come over to your place?”  Castiel seemed extremely happy with his offer.    
  
“Yes, but I will admit, I’m sort of not comfortable right now in my own house.  I-I just want to get out of there but the place isn’t selling fast enough.  It’s where I lived with…”  Dean grimaced and turned his face away but a warm hand against his cheek directed his gaze back.  
  
“I’m sure it’s a lovely house because it’s yours, but I don’t care about that.  It’s your home, and I feel honored that you would invite me into it.  I would be there for you, Dean, not old memories clinging to the corners like empty webs.”  
  
And that was the first thing that anyone had said to him that made him think living in that house after Benny left wasn’t the most horrible thing in the world.  
  
“Come on!  The fireworks are about to start!” someone said.  It sounded like Charlie.  
  
“Do you want to go outside to watch them or stay inside?”  Castiel asked.  
  
“I’ve stayed inside this entire time.   I think maybe we should go outside for this,”  Dean replied.    
  
“Let’s go grab our coats then.  Come on.”  Castiel took his hand and led him towards the elevators.  
  
  
  
Sam watched his brother heading towards the elevators with Castiel and frowned.  Dean had spent the last year alone, wary of starting something new with another person, and yet 4 days here and suddenly he wanted to be constantly around this Castiel, and what did they really know about the guy, aside from the fact that he was a doctor?  Nothing, that’s what.  He’d heard only the barest of facts on the guy, and that wasn’t enough to know his character.  He wondered if Dean would hide his mental illness from Castiel like he had done with Benny.  Whatever they had starting, it wouldn’t last if there were secrets.  He was still brooding as he followed his friends towards the designated area for the fireworks.  Charlie noticed his mood and fell back to walk beside him.  
  
“What’s on your mind, big guy?”  
  
“Do you think Dean is moving too fast with that Cas guy?” he blurted.  
  
“No.  Dean has guarded his heart because he didn’t want to get hurt again.  Can you blame him?  Who would want to put themselves through that all over again?  He sees something in Castiel that he didn’t see in Benny.  If he’s happy, let him be.  Castiel isn’t like Benny.  Like, at all.  I’ve been asking around and he’s really down to earth, honest, almost to a fault, and kind.  His sister in law, Rachel?  I caught her in the hall when I went down for a snack night before last.  She raved about how sweet Castiel is, and how gentle in nature he is.  She swears that he’s a good guy, and that he’s not the cheating kind.  According to her, of all the Novak brothers, Castiel is the best of the bunch, and she says that includes her own husband.  So, if Dean likes him, he’s cool in my book.  Besides, the little bit I’ve been around him, he seems really nice, and he really likes Dean.”  She stopped walking and caught him by the arm so he stopped too.  He looked at questioningly.  
  
“Look, I had a talk with Garth the other day.  We’ve been looking at Dean like he’s fragile and breakable because of his breakdown last year, and Garth, uh, he’s dealt with depression all his life and he says coddling Dean and constantly watching him like he’s a ticking time bomb is just going to push him away.  And that’s what we’ve been doing all this time.  I know we’re all afraid of losing him, but Garth says the Dean we’re seeing now?  That’s the real Dean.  The one we knew growing up, and all these years, that’s not the real Dean.  That was a Dean with a severe hormone imbalance that was angry and unhappy.  We’re just not used to seeing him happy, but this is the real him, and we need to learn to accept that or we’re going to lose him.  And no, I don’t mean suicide, I mean he’s going to shut us out for good.  I don’t want that.  Dean’s my brother from another mother.  You are too.  It would kill me to have him shut me out.  I will forever carry with me the guilt of pushing him like I did.  I know I wasn’t the one to put him in the hospital, but I feel like I was.  I didn’t notice when he was hurting.  I thought he was ok after a 10-year relationship that ended so awfully that my best friend thought he had no one to turn to.  I’m going to hate myself for that for the rest of my life.”  Her voice cracked as her eyes filled with the tears of guilt and frustration that she had held back all this time.  Sam felt his own throat constricting with guilt as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.  He understood her guilt because it was the same that he carried about.  She was right though.  Dean deserved to be treated like the normal human being he was.  
  
“Yeah, I’ll do better with that.  I can’t lose him either.”  He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.  Together they would be better for Dean.  He deserved that from them.  Behind them the elevator doors opened.  
  
“What’s going on?  Someone die?”  Dean joked as he and Castiel came down the hall.  
  
“No, we were just having a moment.  I insulted Sam’s girl hair.”  Charlie laughed, sniffling as she stepped back and wiped at the tears in her eyes.  Sam rolled his eyes and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.  
  
“Whatever,” he grumbled.    
  
“You guys crack me up.”  Dean laughed.  
  
“You’re going outside?  Finally?”  she asked.  Dean grinned and linked his hand with Castiel’s.  
  
“Yeah.  I’ve spent this entire trip inside, and I want to see the fireworks better.”  
  
“We’re staying inside,”  Sam said.  
  
“Come, they start in less than 2 minutes,”  Castiel urged.    
  
“We’ll see you guys after?”  Dean looked at his brother and best friend, both of whom nodded.  
  
“Hey, how does a game of pool sound later?  You guys against us?  I feel like kicking your ass, it’s been too long.”  Sam grinned at his brother knowing full well he’d rise to the challenge. To his surprise it was Castiel who did that.  
  
“Oh, Dean and I make a pretty amazing team.  You sure you want to make that challenge?  How does a little wager sound?  $100?”  
  
Sam smacked his hands together eagerly.  
  
“You’re on!”  
  
Charlie groaned.  “Damn it, Sam, they’re going to kick our asses!  Even I know that!”  
  
Dean and Castiel were both laughing happily as they headed for the patio.  They pulled their hats down tighter over their ears as they stepped out into the cold winter night.  Gabe and a man Dean had never seen before were standing near the fireworks a dozen or so yards away, talking and preparing to light them.  
  
“That’s Cain,”  Castiel explained.  There were round picnic benches on the patio that had been freed of snow and since most of the people had remained inside, they moved to sit at one that would give them a clear view of the night sky and the coming light show.  They sat down side by side, hands linked as they watched the huge countdown clock Gabe had installed near the edge of the patio.  
  
“Thirty seconds!”  Gabe announced.  
  
“Do you have a resolution for this new year?”  Castiel asked, turning to look at Dean.  
  
“I never used to but this year, yeah, I do.  I resolve to be a better person.  I want to open up more to the people around me and let them in.  I don’t want to shut out those I care about anymore.  I know I can’t do this alone and…I don’t want to.  What about you?”  
  
Castiel thought only for a second before replying.  
  
“I want to see what you look like naked.  Not just in swim trunks but actually naked.  I want to hear my name on your lips in a much more intimate way.  Too much?”  
  
Dean was blushing hard but damn it, he was turned on too.  It had been ages since he’d felt like this.  He had missed it terribly.  
  
“N-no.  I want that too.”  
  
“Ten!”  Gabe shouted.  They turned to see Cain preparing the first of the fireworks.  
  
“Nine!”  
  
“Eight!”  
  
“Seven!”  
  
“Six!”  
  
Everyone else chimed in then.  Castiel turned again to look at Dean.  He brought up his free hand to stroke the man’s cheek softly.  
  
“You’re so beautiful.”  
  
Dean blushed harder.  
  
“Happy New Year!”  Gabe cheered.  Everyone joined in except Castiel, who leaned in to kiss Dean.  There were fireworks going off all around them, but the only ones he cared about were the ones exploding behind his eyes as he kissed the man in his arms.    
  
“Well, Happy New Year, little brother.”  Gabe chuckled to himself as he watched his brother macking on his new beau.  May this be an amazing year for you both.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I do hope you enjoyed this story. Please, leave a comment and a kudos if you liked it. Thank you for reading!


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